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OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


EDUCATION 


ON 


THE  DALTON  PLAN 


EDUCATION 

ON 

THE  DALTON  PLAN 

BY 

HELEN  PARKHURST 

Education  Director,  Children's  University  School 
With  an  Introduction  by 

T.  P.  NUNN,  MA.,  D.Sc. 

Professor  of  Education ,  University  of  London  and 

Head  of  London  Dat  Training  College, 

University  of  London 

Contributions  by 

ROSA  BASSETT,  M.B.E.,  B.A. 
and  JOHN  EADES 


NEW  YORK 
E.  P.  DUTTON  &  COMPANY 

681  Fifth  Avenue 


Copyright,  1922, 
By  E.  P.  DUTTON  &  COMPANY 


All  Right*  Reserved 


First  Printing  .  .  Sept.,  1928 
Second  Printing  .  Nov.,  1028 
Third  Printing  .  April,  2  90S 
Fourth  Printing    .     May,  1926 


Printed  in  the  "United  States  of  America 


Ed./  Psych. 
Library 


AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED 
TO 

MRS.  W.  MURRAY  CRANE 
MRS.  ANNE  A.  SAUNDERSON 

AND 

MISS  BELLE  RENNIE 
whose  generous  assistance  and  encouragement 
have  made  it  possible  to  present  the  dalton 
Laboratory  Plan  to  the   educational  world 


"There  is  a  sort  of  mysterious  upheaval  of  mankind  in  the  way 
new  things  spring  up,  which  commands  our  awe.  At  a  given  hour, 
anything  wanted  by  the  race  makes  its  appearance  simultaneously 
from  so  many  quarters,  that  th<j  title  of  a  single  individual  to 
discovery  is  always  contested  and  seems  clearly  to  belong  to  God 
manifested  through  man." 

Edward  Sequin. 


1539019 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/educationondaltoOOparkiala 


FOREWORD 

I  wish  to  take  thi3  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
'gratitude  for  the  unfailing  sympathy  and  support 
'accorded  to  me  and  my  work  by  the  Parents'  Com- 
mittee, and  the  Faculty  of  the  Children's  Univer- 
sity School;  by  Ernest  Jackman,  Principal  of 
the  Dalton  High  School;  to  Dr.  M.  V.  O'Shea  of 
(Wisconsin  University;  to  Miss  Helen  Hutchins 
^Weist,  who  has  assisted  me  in  England  and  Amer- 
ica; and  to  Mr.  John  Macrae,  Vice  President  of 
E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  whose  interest  and  foresight 
brought  out  Miss  Evelyn  Dewey's  book  on  the 
Dalton  Laboratory  Plan,  giving  to  the  educational 
public  the  first  literature  on  the  Dalton  Plan. 

Among  those  to  whom  I  am  indebted  in  Eng- 
land for  advice  and  encouragement  are  Sir 
Michael  Sadler,  Mr.  Edmond  Holmes,  Dr.  C.  W. 
Kimmins,  and  Professor  T.  P.  Nunn,  who  has 
kindly  contributed  the  introduction  to  this  book. 
My  thanks  are  also  due  to  Miss  Rosa  Bassett  who 
was  the  first  to  introduce  the  plan  in  the  largest 
girls'  secondary  school  in  London,  and  to  Mr.  John 
Eades,  head  master  of  a  large  boys'  school  in 
Leeds,  who  have  contributed  valuable  accounts  of 
experiments  with  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan. 

Helen  Pabkhtjbst.  . 

Children's  University  School. 
June,  1922. 

Tii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction.  By  T.  P.  Nunn,  M.A.,  D.Sc, 
Professor,  Department  of  Education,  Uni- 
versity of  London  and  Head  of  London 
Day  Training  College,  University  of 
London xi 

CHAPTER 

I.    The   Inception    of   the   Dalton   Labor- 
atory Plan 1 

II.  The  Plan  in  Principle 18 

III.  The  Plan  in  Practice 34 

IV.  Its  Application — A  Concrete  Example     .  45 
V.  Assignments — How  to  Make  Them      .     .  57 

VI.    Sample  Assignments 72 

VII.    The    Graph    Method    of    Recording 

Progress 134 

VIII.    Teaching  and  Learning 150 

IX.    A    Year's    Experiment    in    an    English 
Secondary  School.   By  Rosa  Bassett, 
M.B.E.,  M.A.,  Head  Mistress,  The  County 
Secondary  School  for  Girls,  Streatham    .   175 
ix 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

X.  The  Dalton  Plan  for  Elementary 
Schools.  By  John  Eades,  Head  Master, 
Kirkstall  Road  School,  Leeds       .     .     .  196 

Appendix 

I.    Assignments  Which  Have  Been  Used  in 

British  Elementary  Schools     .     .     .  227 

II.    Assignments  Which  Have  Been  Used  in  the 

County  Secondary  School,  Streatham  249 

III.  Some  Opinions  op  British  Elementary 
Head  Mistresses  and  Children  on 
the  Dalton  Plan 269 


INTRODUCTION 

Teaching  and  learning  are  correlative  occupations 
which  have  been  carried  on  since  the  beginnings  of 
human  society.  In  this  book  Miss  Helen  Park- 
hurst  inquires  how  they  may  best  be  adjusted  to 
one  another,  and  offers  a  definite  answer  to  the 
question. 

To  many  persons,  teachers  as  well  as  laymen, 
both  inquiry  and  answer  may  seem,  at  this  time 
of  day,  to  be  superfluous.  Does  not  everyone  know 
well  enough  what  it  is  to  be  taught  and  to  learn? 
And  is  not  discussion  of  so  simple  a  matter  bound 
to  prove  one  of  those  exercises  in  word-spinning 
which  delight  pedants  and  cranks,  but  are  a  cause 
of  just  irritation  to  sensible  people?  To  these 
objections  it  is  enough  to  reply  that  the  matter 
cannot  be  so  simple,  for  it  is  one  upon  which  wide 
and  important  differences  of  opinion  have  existed, 
and  still  exist.  A  fresh  debate,  conducted  in  the 
practical  spirit  which  inspires  the  following  pages, 
must  therefore  be  useful,  if  it  does  no  more  than 
challenge  us  to  re-examine  accepted  ideas  and  re- 
assure ourselves  of  their  soundness.  In  educa- 
tion, as  in  all  the  arts  of  life,  a  certain  "scepticism 
of  the  instrument' '  (as  Mr.  Wells  has  called  it) 


40  INTRODUCTION 

is  constantly  needed  if  progress  is  not  to  end 
in  the  stagnation  of  routine. 

The  central  question  about  teaching  and  learn- 
ing may  be  put  thus :  What  is  the  proper  distri- 
bution of  initiative  and  responsibility  between 
teacher  and  taught?  The  answer  to  be  given  ob- 
viously depends  upon  the  pupil's  natural  attitude 
towards  learning,  his  insight  (conscious  or  uncon- 
scious) into  his  own  needs,  and  the  strength  of  his 
will  to  satisfy  them.  Upon  these  points  very  pessi- 
mistic views  once  prevailed.  A  boy,  it  was  held, 
cannot  possibly  know  what  is  good  for  him,  and 
having  crept,  like  a  snail,  unwillingly  to  school, 
will  learn  there  only  what  he  is  made  to  learn.  Ini- 
tiative and  responsibility  belong,  then,  almost 
wholly  to  his  teachers.  It  is  for  them  to  decide 
not  only  what  shall  be  taught,  but  also  how  and 
when  it  shall  be  learnt ;  the  boy's  share  in  the  busi- 
ness is  simply  to  perform  his  task — or,  failing 
that,  to  pay  the  penalty  attached  to  laziness,  stu- 
pidity, or  contumacy.  This  theory  does  not  ac- 
tually deny  that  boys  and  girls  have  natural  in- 
terests and  are  keen  to  pursue  them,  but  it  regards 
them  as  the  foe,  rather  than  the  friend,  of  the 
schoolmaster.  ' '  Go  and  see  what  Budge  and  Tod 
are  doing,  and  tell  them  not  to"  expresses  its 
general  attitude  towards  the  initiative  of  youth. 
As  regards  school  learning,  its  working  hypothesis 
is  the  idea  that  the  child's  mind  is  a  wax  tablet 
scraped  clean  to  receive  such  characters  as  the 
teacher  may  choose  to   impress   on  it,   or    (as 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

Dickens'  Mr.  M 'Choakumchild  thought)  an  empty- 
vessel  to  be  filled  at  his  discretion  with  "imperial 
gallons  of  fact." 

In  its  cruder  forms  this  view  will  hardly  be 
found  now  in  any  responsible  quarter.  Even  Mr. 
Bernard  Shaw,  who  thinks  so  poorly  of  schools, 
does  not  deny  that  boys  and  girls  are  often  far 
happier  in  them  than  outside.  And  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  are  happier  and  spend  their 
schooldays  more  profitably  than  they  used  to  do 
because  the  modern  schoolmaster  has,  so  to  speak, 
recognized  their  natural  activities  officially,  and 
allows  them  to  be  to  some  extent  partners  in  the 
management  of  their  own  lives — in  short,  because 
Mr.  M  'Choakumchild  is  definitely  dead.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  possible  for  a  cynic  to  maintain  that  his 
soul  goes  marching  on  and  will  continue  to  do  so 
while  two  institutions  stand  which,  taken  together, 
express  the  essence  of  his  educational  philosophy. 
Those  institutions  are  the  customary  school  time- 
table and  the  customary  system  of  class  instruc- 
tion. For  the  time-table  originated  in  the  assump- 
tion that  the  teacher  should  dictate  what  his  pupils 
are  to  do  at  every  hour  of  their  school  lives,  and 
the  class-system  in  the  belief  that  he  may  ignore 
the  varied  modes  and  rates  of  movement  which 
distinguish  one  mind  from  another,  and  may  treat 
five  and  twenty  minds  (or  a  hundred)  as  if  they 
were  one. 

Now  it  may  be  said  in  defence  that  an  institution 
may  be  very  valuable,  even  though  its  origin  be 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

disreputable;  that  "whate'er  is  best  administered 
is  best";  and  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  an  immense 
amount  of  good  work  is  done  in  schools  where  no 
alternative  to  the  class  method  has  ever  been 
thought  of.  These  things  are  doubtless  true.  The 
old  machinery  has  been  captured  by  a  new  spirit ; 
but  the  very  competence  and  humanity  with  which 
it  is  now  handled  have  led  many  observers  to 
"scepticism  of  the  instrument' * — have  led  them, 
that  is,  to  doubt  whether  the  class-method  has  not 
pressed  far  beyond  its  limits  of  usefulness,  and 
whether  it  should  not  be  supplemented,  if  not 
wholly  replaced,  by  another. 

Some  time  ago  the  writer  of  these  lines  ex- 
pressed such  doubts  in  a  passage  which — since  it 
looks  beyond  the  disease  to  a  possible  remedy — he 
may  be  allowed  to  quote : 

*"You  all  know  how  a  familiar  word,  per- 
sistently stared  at  suddenly  becomes  almost 
alarmingly  strange  and  meaningless — how 
(as  William  James  said)  it  seems  to  glare 
back  from  the  page  with  no  speculation  in  its 
eyes.  You  will  have  something  like  the  same 
uncanny  experience  if  you  watch  the  opera- 
tion of  a  school  time-table  after  rigorously 
clearing  your  mind  of  its  familiar  associa- 
tions. From  10.15  to  11.00  twenty-five  souls 
are  simultaneously  engrossed  in  the  theory 

•  From  a  Presidential  Address  to  the  Mathematical  Associa- 
tion.   Printed  in  the  Mathematical  Gazette  for  March,  1918. 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

of  quadratic  equations ;  at  the  very  stroke  of 
the  hour  their  interest  in  this  subject  suddenly 
expires,  and  they  all  demand  exercise  in 
French  phonetics !  Like  the  agreement  of  ac- 
tors on  the  stage,  *  their  unanimity  is  wonder- 
ful ' — but  also,  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it, 
ludicrously  artificial.  Can  we  devise  no  way 
of  conducting  our  business  that  would  bring 
it  into  better  accord  with  the  natural  ebb  and 
flow  of  interest  and  activity?  It  may  be  that 
the  specialist  system,  often  a  tireless  compli- 
cation of  the  present  arrangements,  would 
make  a  fluid  organization  perfectly  feasible. 
There  must  still  be,  no  doubt,  certain  fixed 
periods  for  collective  work;  but  during  the 
rest  of  the  day  each  specialist's  room  might 
be  a  'pupil  room'  in  which  boys  or  girls  of 
all  standing  would  work,  singly  or  in  groups, 
in  independence  of  one  another,  and  for  vari- 
able lengths  of  time.  It  would,  of  course,  be 
necessary  to  record  each  pupil's  progress  and 
to  see  that  he  followed  a  reasonable  pro- 
gramme of  studies,  but  I  find  no  reason  why 
in  such  matters  methods  like  those  of  the 
Caldecott  Community  should  not  be  universa- 
lized" 

Years  before  these  words  were  uttered  the 
speaker,  like  numberless  other  teachers,  had 
worked  something  like  this  plan  with  a  group  of 
senior  pupils;  and  he  had  before  his  mind,  of 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

course,  Professor  Dewey's  work  and  Miss 
Mason's,  and  especially  the  striking  reforms  in 
the  education  of  young  children  inspired  by  Dr. 
Montessori.  But  he  was  quite  unaware  that  what 
he  put  forward  as  a  dream  of  the  future  was,  while 
he  spoke,  an  actual  fact  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  It  was  left  to  Miss  Belle  Rennie  to  add 
to  her  many  services  to  progress  in  education  by 
bringing  Miss  Parkhurst's  courageous  and  well- 
thought-out  experiment  to  the  notice  of  British 
teachers. 

Miss  Rennie 's  brief  account  of  the  "Dalton 
Laboratory  Plan"  appeared  in  the  Education  Sup- 
plement of  The  Times  in  May,  1920,  and  her 
swollen  post-bag  began  at  once  to  show  how  widely 
dissatisfaction  with  the  class-method  is  spread  and 
how  many  teachers  are  looking  for  a  better  instru- 
ment of  instruction.  One  month  later,  a  large- 
scale  repetition  of  the  American  experiment  was 
initiated  by  Miss  Rosa  Bassett  at  the  Streatham 
County  Secondary  School ;  in  August  the  first  vin- 
tage of  her  results  were  discussed  at  the  Cardiff 
meeting  of  the  British  Association.  Thereafter, 
interest  grew  so  rapidly  that,  in  July,  1921,  when 
Miss  Parkhurst  came  to  England,  accommodation 
could  not  be  found  for  all  who  wished  to  hear  her 
expound  the  "plan,"  and  when  Miss  Bassett 
opened  the  doors  of  her  school  to  inquirers  for 
three  days  the  roads  of  Streatham  were  encum- 
bered with  over  two  thousand  pilgrims ! 

Nothing  need  be  said  here  about  the  plan  itself, 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

for  Miss  Parkhurst  explains  it  with  careful  de- 
tail in  the  following  chapters,  and  Miss  Bassett 
has  added  an  account  of  her  experience  in  adapt- 
ing it  to  the  conditions  of  a  large  English  secon- 
dary school.  It  is,  however,  permissible  to  one 
who  has  the  honour  of  introducing  the  book  to  its 
public,  to  commend  the  scientific  temper  in  which 
it  is  written.  Miss  Parkhurst  has  envisaged  a 
definite  problem  of  great  practical  importance: 
namely,  how  to  secure  from  the  vast  volume  of 
educational  effort  expended  in  schools  a  richer 
harvest  of  individual  culture  and  efficiency.  The 
"Dalton  Laboratory  Plan"  is  her  solution.  No 
one  recognizes  more  clearly  than  she  that  there  are 
others,  and  that  her  own  is  not  final,  but  is  sus- 
ceptible of  useful  modification  and  development. 
When  Dr.  Montessori's  work  became  known  in  this 
country,  the  movement  towards  what  is  somewhat 
barbarously  called  "auto-education"  received  a 
remarkable  impulse.  Everywhere  reformers  are 
now  busy  opening  up  and  exploring  new  ways  of 
conducting  the  ancient  work  of  education.  Some 
are  "wilder  comrades,"  sworn  to  cut  themselves 
off  from  the  old  tradition  and  everything  that 
belongs  to  it.  These  may  regard  as  a  miserable 
compromise  a  scheme  which  does  not  demand  even 
the  abolition  of  public  examinations!  But  to  no 
less  adventurous  spirits,  who  would  hasten  slowly 
and  keep  on  firm  ground,  the  "Dalton  Plan"  offers 
a  path  of  progress  which  may  safely  be  taken  by; 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

all  who  have  the  gifts  of  intelligence,  devotion,  and 
enterprise. 

Boldness  and  originality  are  typical  qualities  of 
American  education,  and  we  may  hope  that  the 
present  close  and  happy  association  between  an 
American  teacher  and  the  English  men  and  women 
who  are  following  her  lead  may  also  become  typ- 
ical. Typically  American,  too,  is  the  generosity 
which  has  prompted  Miss  Parkhurst  to  assign  her 
pecuniary  interest  in  this  book  to  a  noble  English 
institution — the  Heritage  Craft  School  for  Crip- 
pled Children  at  Chailey.  On  all  grounds  we  may 
wish  good-speed  to  her  enterprise. 

T.  P.  Nunn. 

"University  of  London, 
April,  1922. 


EDUCATION 


ON 


THE  DALTON  PLAN 


EDUCATION  ON  THE 
DALTON  PLAN 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Inception  of  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan 

Among  American  thinkers  Emerson  was  one  of  the 
first  to  realize  and  to  point  out  that  our  educa- 
tional system  was  a  failure  because  the  ideals 
upon  which  it  had  been  founded  had  lost  their 
meaning.  "We  are  students  of  words,"  he  wrote, 
"we  are  shut  up  in  schools  and  colleges  and  reci- 
tation rooms  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  and  come 
out  at  last  with  a  bag  of  wind,  a  memory  of  words, 
and  do  not  know  a  thing.* ■  In  a  recent  interview 
Thomas  Edison,  whose  only  formal  education  con- 
sisted of  "some  instruction  from  his  mother" 
echoed  this  indictment.  "The  possibilities  for 
the  development  of  the  human  brain  are,"  he  said, 
"almost  infinite.  But  the  important  thing  is 
not  to  make  young  children  study  the  thing  they 
don't  like,  for  the  moment  school  is  not  as  inter- 


2  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

esting  as  play  it  is  an  injury.  I  don 't  know  exactly 
at  what  age  a  child's  mind  atrophies,  but  it  is 
somewhere  between  eleven  and  fourteen.  If  you 
make  a  child  study  things  he  doesn't  care  for, 
and  keep  this  up  until  he  is  fourteen,  his  brain  will 
be  impaired  forever.  Children  naturally  like  to 
learn.  They  possess  great  curiosity  but  they  must 
be  interested  in  the  subject.  Our  educational 
methods  fail  to  do  this.  Change  these  methods, 
and  many  more  'freaks'  will  be  produced.  I  am 
a  *  freak'  myself." 

Is  it  any  wonder  therefore  that  in  the  United 
States,  where  every  man  can  be  educated  at  the 
expense  of  his  state,  the  percentage  of  failures  in 
colleges  and  universities  is  said  to  be  greater  to- 
day than  at  any  previous  time  in  our  history. 
Formerly  when  the  educational  field  was  much 
narrower  than  it  is  now  only  a  selected  few  went 
to  college.  They  were  the  mental  superiors  in  each 
family,  chosen  for  their  supposed  fitness  to  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  higher  education.  Thus  they  were 
•judged  and  labelled  as  superior  specimens  even  be- 
fore they  were  submitted  to  the  educational  proc- 
ess. As  a  result  they  returned  from  college  more 
or  less  as  they  went  into  it.  Education  was  at 
that  time  considered  a  privilege  and  the  educated 
became  automatically  a  class  apart,  exempt  from 
criticism.  Their  crystallized  attitude,  which  school 
had  only  served  to  confirm,  cut  them  off  from  the 
simpler  men  and  women  whose  offspring  they 
iwere.    How  could  they  have  anything  in  common 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN         3 

with  the  parental  struggle  and  sacrifice  which  had 
made  it  possible  for  them  to  enjoy  these  advan- 
tages? They  were,  if  anything,  less  able  to  share 
the  common  lot,  having  bartered  their  simplicity 
for  a  pedestal  of  intellectual  passivity  which  ren- 
dered them  useless  to  society  at  home  or  at  large. 

That  was  the  United  States  of  yesterday.  To- 
day the  very  meaning  of  education  has  changed. 
It  is  no  longer  regarded  as  an  end  in  itself  and  for 
every  single  individual  who  set  out  in  search  of 
it  in  the  past  there  are  now  fifty.  So  universal  is 
the  demand  for  education  that  the  minority  which 
remains  indifferent  to  its  advantages  has  become 
negligible.  With  schools  and  colleges  filled  to 
overflowing  educationalists  are  face  to  face  with! 
new  problems,  both  spiritual  and  material.  The 
demand  is  not  only  infinitely  greater  than  ever 
before,  but  it  is  also  a  different  kind  of  demand. 
In  the  old  days  the  student  went  to  school  to  get 
what  the  school  had  to  offer  him ;  now  he  goes  to 
school  to  satisfy  a  definite  need  for  self-develop- 
ment. He  is  no  longer  disposed  to  learn  just  what 
the  teacher  proposes  to  teach.  The  mould  that 
has  done  for  past  generations  of  pupils  will  no 
longer  do  for  him. 

Unfortunately  the  men  and  women  who  work  by; 
the  old  system  and  live  by  it  are  not  only  naturally; 
interested  in  its  preservation  but  they  almost  in- 
inevitably  lose  the  power  to  judge  of  it  imper- 
sonally. Their  minds  become  encrusted  like  the 
system  itself.   And  though  there  are  many  sincere 


4  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  well-disposed  persons  among  them  they  are 
apt  to  become,  through  devoting  all  their  energies 
to  the  task  of  "keeping  up  the  old  traditions," 
incapable  of  re-kindling  the  torch  of  truth.  Such 
people  continue  to  regard  themselves  as  the  conse- 
crated leaders  of  youth — leaders  whose  authority 
cannot  be  disputed.  They  continue  to  judge  the 
new  and  varied  crowd  of  students  by  the  same  old 
standards.  Nothing  will  induce  them  to  scrap  the 
outworn  routine  for  a  fresh  and  vital  method  made 
to  fit  a  fresh  and  vital  humanity. 

More  criticism  of  the  educational  system  comes 
from  the  parents  of  pupils.  On  every  side  one 
hears  the  question  asked, ' '  What  has  my  daughter 
got  out  of  her  college  training?"  and  again,  "How 
has  the  university  fitted  my  son  for  the  battle  of 
life?"  The  answer  of  the  schools  that  they  pro- 
vide "experience"  is  only  valid  after  a  definition 
of  what  experience  really  is.  The  pioneers  of  the 
early  days  of  American  history  were  usually  men 
who  were  quite  uneducated  in  the  academic  sense 
of  the  word.  Experience  was  their  only  school. 
Their  inborn  talents  alone  enabled  them  to  learn 
the  supreme  lesson  of  life.  They  were  the  sur- 
vivors who  fought  and  conquered.  But  what  of 
those  who  fell  in  the  battle  and  who  might  with 
the  aid  of  some  educational  experience  have 
given  a  good  account  of  themselves?  To-day  we 
cannot  afford  so  high  a  proportion  of  derelicts. 
We  have  got  to  find  some  way  of  expanding  and 
strengthening  the  natural  talents  of  the  average 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN  6 

boy  before  he  goes  forth  into  the  wide  straggle 
for  life  and  success.  We  have  got  to  provide  op- 
portunities for  the  average  girl  to  learn  not  only- 
how  to  develop  her  intellect  but  also  how  to  con- 
duct herself  as  a  unit  of  society. 

In  order  to  acquire  these  two  kinds  of  expe- 
rience while  we  are  still  immature  beings  a  fa- 
vourable environment  is  the  first  essential.  On 
this  point  Edwin  G.  Conklin  writes  in  an  illuminat- 
ing way  in  his  book  Heredity  and  Environment. 
According  to  this  author  ' '  Only  that  environment 
and  training  are  good  which  lead  to  the  develop- 
ment of  good  habits  and  traits  or  to  the  suppres- 
sion of  bad  ones.  ...  In  general  the  best  envi- 
ronment is  one  which  avoids  extremes,  one  which 
is  neither  too  easy  nor  too  hard,  one  which  pro- 
duces maximum  efficiency  of  mind  and  body." 

"In  education  we  are  strangely  blind  to  proper 
aims  and  methods.  Any  education  is  bad  which 
leads  to  the  formation  of  habits  of  idleness,  care- 
lessness, failure,  instead  of  industry,  thorough- 
ness and  success.  Any  religion  or  social  institu- 
tion is  bad  which  leads  to  habits  of  pious  make- 
believe,  insincerity,  slavish  regard  for  authority 
and  disregard  for  evidence,  instead  of  habits  of 
sincerity,  open-mindedness  and  independence." 

These  are  the  beacon  lights  towards  which 
education  should  tend.  By  its  works  on  the  pupils 
we  shall  know  it.  Has  our  educational  system  suc- 
ceeded in  making  the  children  upon  whom  it  has 
been  imposed  industrious,  sincere,  open-minded 


6  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  independent?  The  answer  must  certainly  be 
in  the  negative.  This  is  not,  however,  to  say  that 
those  qualities  can  only  be  developed  at  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  old  and  purely  cultural  values  to  the 
attainment  of  which  the  efforts  of  educationalists 
have  been  hitherto  exclusively  devoted.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  inculcate  a  respect  for  learning  and  the  de- 
igire  for  a  high  level  of  cultural  development  and 
at  the  same  time  to  breed  in  the  young  that  moral 
stamina  upon  which  Edwin  Conklin  sets  such  price 
and  which  is  indispensable  to  good  and  abundant 
living.  But  this  twin  ideal  will  only  be  reached 
if  school  life  is  modified  as  so  to  include  training 
in  real  experience — that  experience  for  which  a 
craving  exists  in  every  youthful  heart.  The  child 
must  be  fortified  to  solve  the  problems  of  child- 
hood before  he  comes  face  to  face  with  the  problem 
of  youth  and  maturity.  He  can  only  do  this  if 
education  is  designed  to  give  him  such  freedom 
and  responsibility  as  will  permit  him  to  tackle 
them  for  and  by  himself.  Experience  is  that  and 
nothing  more.  Without  it  no  development  of 
character  is  possible,  and  without  character  no 
problems  can  be  satisfactorily  solved  at  any  age. 
The  child,  cramped  and  frustrated  by  the  rules 
and  regulations  of  our  educational  system,  never 
gets  to  grips  with  experience  in  any  form.  He 
neither  learns  to  master  his  own  difficulties  nor  the 
difficulties  bred  of  contact  with  his  fellows. 

It  is  indeed  almost  impossible  to  over-estimate 
the  value  of  such  experience  to  the  child  as  to  the 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN         7 

adult.  It  tests  as  nothing  else  can  test  the  moral 
and  intellectual  fibre  of  the  individual.  It  shapes 
and  tempers  his  thoughts,  sharpens  and  enlarges 
his  judgment,  teaching  at  the  same  time  the  most 
important  lesson  of  all — self-discipline — as  the  in- 
dividual comes  into  relation  with  other  individu- 
als. Group  consciousness  grows  out  of  this  social 
experience.  Only  by  bringing  it  into  the  daily 
lives  of  our  children  can  we  give  back  to  school 
life  that  zest  and  purpose  and  interest  which  it 
has  lost. 

One  day  when  an  express  train  was  bearing  me 
away  from  New  York  for  a  much-needed  and  long- 
anticipated  holiday,  a  remark  thrown  out  by  a 
fellow  passenger  distracted  me  from  my  observa- 
tion of  the  rapidly  receding  landscape. 

"Would  you  believe  it?"  he  exclaimed,  "that 
upon  a  modern  railroad  less  than  eighty  years  old 
such  as  this,  education  and  instruction  are  only 
just  beginning  to  take  the  place  of  discipline  and 
criticism?  We  used  to  suspend  unsatisfactory 
workmen.  Now  we  are  trying  to  understand  them 
and  already  we  have  far  less  trouble." 

If  the  speaker  had  been  a  professor  instead 
of  a  railroad  official  as  he  proceeded  to  tell  me  he 
was — his  words  would  have  caused  me  less  sur- 
prise. But  he  had  turned  an  unexpected  search- 
light upon  the  very  problems  tlmt  were  then  en- 
gaging my  attention.  As  he  had  no  idea  I  was 
an  educationalist  I  eagerly  grasped  this  oppor- 
tunity to  get  an  outside  opinion  upon  them.    At 


8  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

that  moment  the  train  flew  past  a  band  of  workmen 
in  the  aet  of  doing  their  job. 

"Look  at  those  men,"  continued  my  companion, 
"they've  not  the  slightest  idea  of  the  best  way  to 
handle  their  work." 

"Why  not?"  I  inquired. 

"Because  the  handling  of  the  job  belongs  to  the 
foreman.  It  is  his  duty  to  think  for  the  gang. 
A  labourer  who  thinks  for  himself  would  soon  be 
voted  a  nuisance.  The  foreman  would  resent  any- 
one telling  him  how  to  run  his  job  and  the  man 
would  probably  be  fired.  Yet  how  much  better 
the  result  would  be  if  the  labourer  looked  upon 
the  job  as  his  own  and  felt  responsible  for  it.  In 
that  case  the  foreman  would  become  a  helper  in- 
stead of  a  driver. ' ' 

Our  discussion  ranged  over  station  clerks, 
brakemen,  and  engineers — their  training  and  in- 
terest in  the  great  railroad  system  of  which  they 
were  like  cogs  in  the  wheels.  And  as  we  talked  I 
felt  that  my  problem  and  his  problem  were  really 
the  same. 

Finally  I  ventured  to  ask  his  opinion  of  his 
chief,  the  President  of  the  road.  The  reply  came 
in  a  different  tone,  quick  with  enthusiastic  admi- 
ration. 

"Oh!  He's  another  sort  altogether.  We've  a 
a  president  who  knows  how.  He  looks  ahead  and 
plans  with  that  rare  ability  built  up  by  experience. 
Why,  when  he  begins  to  talk  you  soon  find  he's 
left  you  and  your  ideas  as  far  behind  as  this  train 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN  9 

has  left  those  labourers.  Yes — our  president's 
one  in  a  million — a  fearless  human  being!" 

The  phrase  sank  into  my  heart,  for  isn't  that 
just  what  we  educationalists  are  trying  to  create 
— fearless  human  beings?  Life  needs  them,  the 
world  needs  them  because  there  are  never  enough 
to  go  round.  They  are  so  rare — those  men  and 
women  who  can  look  ahead  and  plan — who  know 
how! 

For  years  before  that  train  journey  I  had  been 
asking  myself  whether,  how,  and  when  that  kind 
of  fearless  human  being  could  be  evolved.  My 
first  experience  of  teaching  came  to  me  in  a  rural 
school  where  forty  pupils  were  divided  into  eight 
grades  or  classes.  I  had  thus  to  provide  occu- 
pation for  seven  classes  while  I  gave  oral  instruc- 
tion to  one  class.  To  get  every  pupil  busy  on 
something  until  I  could  overlook  his  work  oc- 
curred to  me  as  the  best  solution  of  the  difficulty. 
To  make  this  plan  a  success  I  had  to  get  the  older 
children  to  help  the  little  ones.  They,  and  espe- 
cially the  big  boys,  responded  to  my  appeal.  With 
their  assistance  I  transformed  a  storeroom  into  a 
library.  Each  corner  of  the  school  room  I  marked 
off  for  each  different  subject.  In  addition  to  the 
converted  storeroom,  we  possessed  a  garden  and 
a  hall  which  was  soon  doing  duty  as  a  playroom. 
Even  in  that  stolid  backwoods  community  no  one 
objected  to  these  unconventional  experiments  be- 
cause they  were  a  success.  The  attendance  rose 
rapidly;  the  children  were  orderly  and  obedient, 


10  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  they  worked  with  a  will.  Some  of  my  popu- 
larity was  due  to  my  father,  who  used  to  tell  them 
Indian  stories  when  he  came  to  fetch  me  every 
Friday.  But  the  school  authorities  also  showed 
their  approval  of  the  results  attained,  for  at  the 
end  of  the  school  term  they  reported  me  as  "  com- 
petent and  of  good  steady  habits.* ' 

Later  on  as  instructor  in  a  High  School,  Pri- 
mary Schools,  Normal  Training  Schools  and  a 
Training  College  I  found  myself  up  against  other 
difficulties,  and  though  I  constantly  exercised  my 
ingenuity  in  seeking  a  solution  for  them  I  was 
never  satisfied.  It  is  no  wonder  therefore  that 
when  in  1908  a  former  instructor  gave  me  a  copy 
of  Edgar  James  Swift 's  book  Mind  in  the  Making 
I  was  impressed  by  the  ideas  it  contained. 

That  book  influenced  me  and  my  work  pro- 
foundly. I  owe  to  it  my  first  conception  of  "  edu- 
cational laboratories."  After  reading  it  over  and 
over  again  I  always  returned  to  the  two  passages 
which  seemed  to  contain  the  key  to  my  special 
problems.    The  first  ran  as  follows : 

"The  rational  method  is  to  work  with  the 
students,  inspiring  them  with  longing  to  delve 
into  things  for  themselves  and  to  make  their 
contribution  to  the  common  fund  of  knowl- 
edge, to  be  discussed  or  clarified  in  the  reci- 
tation.* The  didactic  method  belongs  to  the 
Middle  Ages.    It  still  dominates  our  schools, 

*Oral  lesson. 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN        11 

though  the  conditions  that  made  it  serviceable 
have  long  since  passed.  Mental  expansion  of 
the  teachers  themselves  is  the  first  step  to- 
wards removing  this  mediaeval  debris.  They 
will  then  investigate  their  pupils,  the  school- 
room will  become  an  educational  laboratory, 
and  activity  will  not  be  limited  to  the  manual 
training  department.  The  influence  of  sug- 
gestion through  environment  has  never  re- 
ceived its  proper  recognition  in  education. 
Teachers  want  to  play  a  too  conspicuous  part 
in  the  mentations  of  the  pupils.  But  the  educa- 
tor is  limited,  in  the  ends  he  may  pre-elect,  by 
the  complexity  of  human  life.  The  very  child 
whose  qualities  he  disapproves  of  may  be  the 
germ  of  a  man  much  beyond  his  own  mental 
reach." 

To  me  the  second  passage  which  I  quote  was 
scarcely  less  illuminating.  "Thus  far  educational 
experiments  have  been  too  detached  and  fragmen- 
tary. The  few  who  have  undertaken  them 
were  already  burdened  with  heavy  work  which 
occupied  most  of  their  day.  This  left  little  leisure 
or  energy  for  working  out  details  or  for  a  critical 
study  of  the  results.  In  many  instances  lack  of 
time  forced  the  abandonment  of  the  experiment 
before  its  completion.  This  is  the  result  of  failure 
to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  work.  Edu- 
cation has  been  hitherto  too  absorbed  in  its  his- 
tory.  Teachers  are  constantly  straining  their  eyes 


12  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

by  looking  over  their  shoulders  at  Pestalozzi, 
Froebel  and  Herbart,  instead  of  looking  forward 
to  new  achievements.  As  a  result  pedagogy  is 
always  on  the  defensive  against  the  charge  of 
vagueness,  romanticism  and  particularly  inade- 
quacy. Economy  of  energy  is  quite  as  truly  a 
problem  for  education  as  for  mechanics.  Efficiency 
— the  ratio  of  useful  work  to  the  energy  spent  in 
accomplishing  it — may  be  increased  by  lessening 
the  resistance,  or  by  applying  more  power,  and 
teachers  have  occupied  themselves  too  exclusively 
with  producing  power." 

It  was  Edgar  Swift's  book,  which  I  gave  to 
every  student  who  seemed  likely  to  understand  it, 
that  made  me  take  the  firm  resolution  to  become 
a  free  lance  in  education  as  soon  as  I  could,  with 
leisure  enough  to  experiment  in  the  search  for  a 
new  and  better  way. 

Three  years  later  I  began  to  realize  that  ambi- 
tion by  drafting  a  plan  of  work  for  children  be- 
tween eight  and  twelve  years  of  age  to  be  carried 
out  in  the  first  " educational  laboratory.' ■  A  col- 
league in  a  Normal  Training  College  consented  to 
collaborate  with  me  while  professing  scepticism  as 
to  the  practicability  of  my  plan.  But  the  fear  of 
being  condemmed  as  a  revolutionary  at  war 
against  hallowed  traditions  prevented  my  discuss- 
ing the  new  method  in  the  classroom,  though  I 
tried  to  explain  it  outside  school  to  a  chosen  band 
of  students. 

From  its  inception,  the  laboratory  plan,  as  I 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN        13 

continued  to  call  it  even  after  perfecting  it  in  1913, 
aimed  at  the  entire  reorganization  of  school  life. 
My  idea  was  to  substitute  for  the  top-heavy  ma- 
chinery actually  in  use  a  simple  reconstruction 
of  school  procedure  under  which  the  pupils  would 
enjoy  more  freedom  as  well  as  an  environment 
better  adapted  to  the  different  sections  of  their 
studies  in  which  each  instructor  should  be  a  spe- 
cialist. x\bove  all  I  wanted  to  equalize  the  pupil's 
individual  difficulties  and  to  provide  the  same  op- 
portunity for  advancement  to  the  slow  as  to  the 
bright  child.  By  1913  we  had  worked  out  the  lab- 
oratory plan  so  as  to  partially  eliminate  the  time 
table,  but  it  was  not  until  1915  that  we  were  able 
to  get  rid  of  it  entirely.  In  1913  we  began  by  or- 
ganizing the  pupils  into  groups  with  a  free  choice 
of  laboratories.  That  was  in  itself  a  great  in- 
novation, though  they  were  still  obliged  to  remain 
in  isolated  groups.  It  took  me  two  years  more  to 
work  out  the  full  interaction  of  groups  upon  each 
other. 

I  was  fortunate  in  always  securing  for  my  ex- 
periments the  sympathy  and  encouragement  of 
the  heads  of  various  institutions  with  which  I  was 
connected.  My  role  of  supervisor  enabled  me  to 
gain  experience  in  the  problems  of  organization 
as  well  as  in  the  problems  of  method.  Of  still 
greater  value  were  the  occasions  afforded  me  to 
watch  the  developments  of  other  experiments,  and 
my  petitions  for  leave  of  absence  for  this  purpose 
were  never  refused.    In  1914  I  applied  for  per- 


14  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

mission  to  go  to  Italy  in  order  to  investigate  the 
Montessori  method.  After  that  experience  I  took 
part  in  the  application  of  this  method  in  Califor- 
nia in  1915.  On  that  occasion  I  acted  as  Dr.  Mon- 
tessori's  assistant,  and  while  a  member  of  her 
household  I  attended  four  training  courses.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  my  career  I  enjoyed,  through  the 
courtesy  of  Dr.  Frederic  Burk  and  his  interest 
in  my  work  the  satisfaction  of  making  a  practical 
test  of  my  laboratory  plan  upon  a  selected  group 
of  one  hundred  children,  between  the  ages  of  nine 
and  twelve. 

Between  December  1915  and  January  1918,  hav- 
ing accepted  the  charge  of  looking  after  Dr.  Mon- 
tessori's  interests  in  America,  I  was  obliged  to 
abandon  temporarily  my  experiments  with  the 
laboratory  idea.  But  I  eagerly  resumed  them  after 
resigning  this  charge  with  the  financial  support 
of  the  Child  Education  Foundation,  which  I  at 
that  time  directed.  By  that  time  I  felt  I  had 
devoted  sufficient  study  to  the  individual  aspect  of 
education.  The  school  in  its  aspect  of  a  human 
society  then  engrossed  my  energy. 

It  was  in  September  1919,  just  fifteen  years 
after  my  first  experience  in  teaching,  that  I  was 
able  to  see  the  laboratory  plan  applied  in  an  un- 
graded school  for  crippled  boys.  For  me  it  was 
a  great  moment,  and  I  can  never  be  sufficiently 
grateful  to  those  who  unselfishly  gave  me  an  op- 
portunity to  put  my  plan  into  practice.  I  might,  of 
course,  have  found  other  schools  where  the  experi- 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN        15 

ment  in  its  entirety  could  have  been  tried  upon 
unhandicapped  children.  But  both  I  myself  and 
my  friend,  Mrs.  W.  Murray  Crane,  were  actuated 
by  the  desire  to  give  those  cripples  all  the 
joy  and  happiness  that  could  possibly  be  in- 
cluded in  education.  As  trustee  of  that  cripple 
school  which  she  had  helped  to  found  and  to  en- 
dow, and  as  chairman  of  its  Educational  Com- 
mittee, Mrs.  W.  Murray  Crane  deserves  all  the 
admiration  I  can  express.  Some  months  pre- 
viously she  had  asked  me  to  make  any  suggestions 
that  occurred  to  me  for  the  improvement  of  the 
school.  It  seemed  to  me  then  that  the  laboratory 
plan  was  just  what  it  needed,  and  when  in  No- 
vember 1918 1  explained  the  plan  to  her  she  under- 
stood and  believed  in  it  from  the  very  first.  Some 
months  later  I  visited  the  Cripple  School  and  by 
the  autumn  of  1919  the  plan  was  in  operation 
there.  Very  soon  it  bore  good  fruit  and  aroused 
interest  in  many  quarters.  To  me  that  experience 
was  invaluable,  for  it  was  there  I  discovered  that 
some  device  for  checking  progress  of  each  pupil 
was  a  necessity.  It  was  there  I  invented  the 
Graphs  which  I  will  deal  with  in  a  later  chapter. 
With  the  aid  of  these  graphs  I  found  it  possible 
to  simplify  the  organization  and  to  perfect  the 
interaction  of  the  various  groups. 

Our  success  with  the  cripples  inspired  Mrs. 
Crane  with  the  ambitious  project  of  applying  the 
laboratory  plan  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  High 
School  in  her  home  town  at  Dalton,  Massachusetts. 


16  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

In  February  1920  that  ambition  was  realized. 
Soon  after  we  had  started  on  the  new  method,  Dal- 
ton  High  School  received  the  visit  of  Mrs. 
Sannderson,  bringing  with  her  Miss  Belle  Rennie 
of  London,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  new  educa- 
tional ideas  in  England.  Miss  Rennie 's  interest  in 
my  work  led  her  to  write  about  it  after  her  return 
to  London,  and  fearing  that  my  cherished  term 
"laboratory"  might  be  misunderstood,  I  then 
decided  to  call  my  plan  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan,  by  which  it  has  since  been  known. 

I  admit  that  the  word  laboratory  may  seem  to 
some  people  inappropriate,  because  hitherto  it  has 
been  associated  exclusively  with  scientific  experi- 
ments. But  to  me  the  word  is  most  significant,  and 
I  cling  to  it  advisedly  in  the  hope  that  it  may  grad- 
ually shift  the  educational  point  of  view  away 
from  the  atmosphere  of  prejudice  and  moribund 
theories  which  the  word  "school"  calls  up  in  our 
minds.  Let  us  think  of  school  rather  as  a  socio- 
logical laboratory  where  the  pupils  themselves  are 
the  experimenters,  not  the  victims  of  an  intricate 
and  crystallized  system  in  whose  evolution  they 
have  neither  part  nor  lot.  Let  us  think  of  it  as  a 
place  where  community  conditions  prevail  as  they 
prevail  in  life  itself. 

From  Dalton  we  went  on  to  conquer  fresh  fields. 
I  am  greatly  indebted  to  a  group  of  friends,  espe- 
cially Mrs.  James  T.  Pyle,  for  their  faith  and  help 
in  the  early  days.  Later,  through  the  generosity 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Murray  Crane,  the  Children's 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  DALTON  PLAN        17 

University  School  was  founded  with  the  avowed 
object  of  demonstrating  what  the  Dalton  plan 
could  do  to  re-vitalize  education — to  make  it  a 
living  thing  capable  of  arousing  and  preserving 
the  interest  of  pupils  in  their  work.  Here  it 
was  first  applied  to  children  of  pre-adolescent  age. 
To  their  co-operation  and  to  their  criticism  I  also 
owe  much.  Even  before  discussing  the  plan  in  de- 
tail with  my  associates  I  presented  it  to  the  chil- 
dren and  invited  their  opinion  upon  it.  Their  sug- 
gestions were  extremely  valuable.  It  was,  in  fact, 
the  pupils  themselves  who  showed  me  the  way  to 
correct  several  points  in  which  it  was  defective. 
Thus  at  the  very  outset  the  principle  of  freedom 
in  education  for  those  whom  we  aspire  to  educate 
justified  itself. 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Plan  in  Principle 

Broadly  speaking  the  old  type  of  school  may  be 
said  to  stand  for  culture,  while  the  modern  type 
of  school  stands  for  experience.  The  Dalton  Lab- 
oratory Plan  is  primarily  a  way  whereby  both 
these  aims  can  be  reconciled  and  achieved. 

The  acquisition  of  culture  is  a  form  of  expe- 
rience, and  as  such  is  an  element  in  the  business 
of  living  with  which  school  ought  to  be  as  inti- 
mately concerned  as  is  adult  existence.  But  it  will 
never  become  so  until  the  school  as  a  whole  is  re- 
organized so  that  it  can  function  like  a  community 
—a  community  whose  essential  condition  is  free- 
dom for  the  individual  to  develop  himself. 

This  ideal  freedom  is  not  license,  still  less  in- 
discipline. It  is,  in  fact,  the  very  reverse  of  both. 
The  child  who  "does  as  he  likes"  is  not  a  free 
child.  He  is,  on  the  contrary,  apt  to  become  the 
slave  of  bad  habits,  selfish  and  quite  unfit  for  com- 
munity life.  Under  these  circumstances  he  needs 
6ome  means  of  liberating  his  energy  before  he 
can  grow  into  a  harmonious,  responsible  being, 
able  and  willing  to  lend  himself  consciously  to  co- 
operation with  his  fellows  for  their  common  bene- 

18 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  19 

fit.  The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  provides  that 
means  by  diverting  his  energy  to  the  pursuit  and 
organization  of  his  own  studies  in  his  own  way. 
It  gives  him  that  mental  and  moral  liberty  which 
we  recognize  as  so  necessary  on  the  physical  plane 
in  order  to  insure  his  bodily  well-being.  Anti- 
social qualities  and  activities  are,  after  all,  merely 
misdirected  energy. 

Freedom  is  therefore  the  first  principle  of  the 
Dalton  Laboratory  Plan.  From  the  academic,  or 
cultured,  point  of  view,  the  pupil  must  be  made 
free  to  continue  his  work  upon  any  subject  in 
which  he  is  absorbed  without  interruption,  because 
when  interested  he  is  mentally  keener,  more  alert, 
and  more  capable  of  mastering  any  difficulty  that 
may  arise  in  the  course  of  his  study.  Under  the 
new  method  there  are  no  bells  to  tear  him  away 
at  an  appointed  hour  and  chain  him  pedagogically 
to  another  subject  and  another  teacher.  Thus 
treated,  the  energy  of  the  pupil  automatically  runs 
to  waste.  Such  arbitrary  transfers  are  indeed  as 
uneconomic  as  if  we  were  to  turn  an  electric  stove 
on  and  off  at  stated  intervals  for  no  reason.  Un- 
less a  pupil  is  permitted  to  absorb  knowledge  at 
his  own  rate  of  speed  he  will  never  learn  anything 
thoroughly.  Freedom  is  taking  his  own  time.  To 
take  someone  else 's  time  is  slavery. 

The  second  principle  of  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  is  co-operation  or,  as  I  prefer  to  call  it,  the 
interaction  of  group  life.  There  is  a  passage  in 
Dr.   John   Dewey's   Democracy   and   Education 


20  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

which  admirably  defines  this  idea.  "The  object 
of  a  democratic  education,"  he  writes,  "is  not 
merely  to  make  an  individual  an  intelligent  par- 
ticipator in  the  life  of  his  immediate  group,  but 
to  bring  the  various  groups  into  such  constant  in- 
teraction that  no  individual,  no  economic  group, 
could  presume  to  live  independently  of  others." 

Under  the  old  educational  system  a  pupil  can 
and  often  does  live  outside  his  group,  touching  it 
only  when  he  passes  in  company  with  his  fellows 
over  the  common  mental  highway  called  the  curric- 
ulum. This  easily  ends  in  his  becoming  anti- 
social, and  if  so  he  carries  this  handicap  with  him 
when  he  leaves  school  for  the  wider  domain  of  life. 
Such  a  pupil  may  even  be  "an  intelligent  partic- 
ipator" in  the  life  of  his  form  or  class,  just  as 
a  teacher  may  be.  But  a  democratic  institution 
demands  more  than  this.  Seal  social  living  is 
more  than  contact;  it  is  co-operation  and  inter- 
action. A  school  cannot  reflect  the  social  expe- 
rience which  is  the  fruit  of  community  life  unless 
all  its  parts,  or  groups,  develop  those  intimate 
relations  one  with  the  other  and  that  interdepend- 
ence which,  outside  school,  binds  men  and  nations 
together. 

Conditions  are  created  by  the  Dalton  Labora- 
tory Plan  in  which  the  pupil,  in  order  to  enjoy 
them,  involuntarily  functions  as  a  member  of  a 
social  community.  He  is  accepted  or  rejected  by 
this  community  according  as  his  functioning,  or 
conduct  is  social  or  the  reverse.    The  law  operates 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  21 

in  school  just  as  it  does  in  the  world  of  men  and 
women.  To  be  effective  this  law  must  not  be  im- 
posed, but  unwritten,  an  emanation  as  it  were  of 
the  atmosphere  breathed  by  the  community.  The 
value  of  community  life  lies  in  the  service  it  ren- 
ders in  making  each  free  individual  composing  it 
perpetually  conscious  that  he,  as  a  member,  is  a  co- 
worker responsible  to,  and  for,  the  whole. 

This  constitutes  a  problem  in  school  procedure. 
It  should  be  so  organized  that  neither  pupil  nor 
teacher  can  isolate  themselves,  nor  escape  their 
due  share  in  the  activities  and  in  the  difficulties 
of  others.  We  all  know  the  teachers  who  hang  up 
their  personality  each  morning  as  they  hang  up 
their  coats.  Outside  school  these  people  have 
human  interests  and  human  charm  which  they  do 
not  dare  to  exhibit  when  with  their  pupils 
lest  they  should  in  so  doing  seem  to  abro- 
gate their  authority.  The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan 
has  no  use  for  the  parade  of  such  fictitious  au- 
thority, which  is  restrictive,  not  educative.  In- 
stead of  promoting  order  it  provokes  indiscipline. 
It  is  fatal  to  the  idea  of  a  school  as  a  vital  social 
unit. 

Equally,  from  the  pupil's  point  of  view,  is  the 
child  when  submitted  to  the  action  of  arbitratory 
authority  and  to  immutable  rules  and  regulations, 
incapable  of  developing  a  social  consciousness 
which  is  the  prelude  to  that  social  experience  so 
indispensable  as  a  preparation  for  manhood  and 
womanhood.     Academically  considered,   the   old 


22  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

system  is  just  as  fatal  as  it  is  from  the  social  point 
of  view.  A  child  never  voluntarily  undertakes 
anything  that  he  does  not  understand.  The  choice 
of  his  games  or  pursuits  is  determined  by  a  clear 
estimate  of  his  capabilities  to  excel  in  them.  Hav- 
ing the  responsibility  of  his  choice  his  mind 
acts  like  a  powerful  microscope,  taking  in  and 
weighing  every  aspect  of  the  problem  he  must 
master  in  order  to  ensure  success.  Given  the  same 
free  conditions  his  mind  would  act  on  the  problems 
of  study  in  exactly  the  same  way.  Under  the 
Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  we  place  the  work  prob- 
lem squarely  before  him,  indicating  the  standard 
which  has  to  be  attained.  After  that  he  is  allowed 
to  tackle  it  as  he  thinks  fit  in  his  own  way  and  at 
his  own  speed.  Eesponsibility  for  the  result  will 
develop  not  only  his  latent  intellectual  powers, 
but  also  his  judgment  and  character. 

But  in  order  that  he  may  accomplish  this  edu- 
cative process — in  order  that  he  may  be  led  to  edu- 
cate himself — we  must  give  him  an  opportunity 
to  survey  the  whole  of  the  task  we  set.  To  win  the 
race  he  must  first  get  a  clear  view  of  the  goal. 
It  would  be  well  to  lay  a  whole  twelvemonth's 
work  before  the  pupil  at  the  beginning  of  the 
school  year.  This  will  give  him  a  perspective 
of  the  plan  of  his  education.  He  will  thus  be  able 
to  judge  of  the  steps  he  must  take  each  month 
and  each  week  so  that  he  may  cover  the  whole 
road,  instead  of  going  blindly  forward  with  no 
idea  either  of  the  road  or  the  goal.    How  so  handi- 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  23 

capped  can  a  child  be  expected  to  be  interested 
in  the  race  even  to  desire  to  win  it?  How  can 
a  teacher  hope  to  turn  out  a  well-equipped  human 
being  unless  he  takes  the  trouble  to  study  the 
psychology  of  the  child?  Both  for  master  and  for 
pupil  a  perception  of  their  job  is  essential.  Edu- 
cation is,  after  all,  a  co-operative  task.  Their  suc- 
cess or  failure  in  it  is  interlocked. 

Children  learn,  if  we  would  only  believe  it, 
just  as  men  and  women  learn,  by  adjusting  means 
to  ends.  What  does  a  pupil  do  when  given,  as 
he  is  given  by  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan,  re- 
sponsibility for  the  performance  of  such  and  such 
work?  Instinctively  he  seeks  the  best  way  of 
achieving  it.  Then  having  decided,  he  proceeds  to 
act  upon  that  decision.  Supposing  his  plan  does 
not  seem  to  fit  his  purpose,  he  discards  it  and 
tries  another.  Later  on  he  may  find  it  profitable 
to  consult  his  fellow  students  engaged  in  a  similar 
task.  Discussion  helps  to  clarify  his  ideas  and 
also  his  plan  of  procedure.  When  he  comes  to  the 
end  the  finished  achievement  takes  on  all  the  splen- 
dour of  success.  It  embodies  all  he  has  thought 
and  felt  and  lived  during  the  time  it  has  taken 
to  complete.  This  is  real  experience.  It  is  culture 
acquired  through  individual  development  and 
through  collective  co-operation.  It  is  no  longer 
school — it  is  life. 

Not  only  will  this  method  of  education  stimulate 
the  deepest  interest  and  the  highest  powers  in  a 
student,  but  it  will  teach  him  how  to  proportion 


24  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

effort  to  attainment.  In  his  book  upon  the  prin- 
ciples of  war  General  Foch  says:  "Economy  of 
forces  consists  in  throwing  all  the  forces  at  one's 
disposition  at  a  given  time  upon  one  pomjL"  So 
the  child's  attack  upon  his  problem  of  work  should 
be  facilitated  by  allowing  him  to  concentrate  all 
his  forces  upon  the  subject  that  claims  his  interest 
at  one  particular  moment.  He  will  in  this  case 
not  only  do  more  work,  but  better  work  too.  The 
Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  permits  pupils  to  budget 
their  time  and  to  spend  it  according  to  their  need. 

1 '  The  secret  of  education, ' '  so  Emerson  tells  us, 
"lies  in  respecting  the  pupil.  It  is  not  for  you 
to  chose  what  he  shall  know,  what  he  shall  do.  It 
is  chosen  and  fore-ordained  and  he  alone  holds 
the  key  to  his  own  secret.  By  your  tampering  and 
thwarting  and  too  much  governing  he  may  be  hin- 
dered from  his  end  and  kept  out  of  his  own.  Re- 
spect the  child.  Wait  and  see  the  new  product 
of  nature.  Nature  loves  analogies  but  not  repe- 
titions. Respect  the  child.  Be  not  too  much  his 
parent.     Trespass  not  on  his  solitude. 

"But  I  hear  the  outcry  which  replies  to  this  sug- 
gestion: Would  you  verily  throw  up  the  reins 
of  public  and  private  discipline ;  would  you  leave 
the  young  child  to  the  mad  career  of  his  own 
passions  and  whimsies  and  call  this  anarchy  re- 
spect for  the  child's  nature?  I  answer:  Respect 
the  child,  respect  him  to  the  end,  but  also  respect 
yourself.  Be  the  companion  of  his  thought,  the 
friend  of  his  friendship,  the  lover   of  his  virtue, 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  25 

but  no  kinsman  of  his  sin.  He  makes  wild  at- 
tempts to  explain  himself,  and  invokes  the  aid  and 
consent  of  the  bystanders.  Baffled  by  want  of  lan- 
guage and  methods  to  convey  his  meaning,  not  yet 
clear  to  himself,  he  conceives  that  though  not  in 
this  house  or  town,  yet  in  some  other  house  or 
town  is  the  wise  master  who  can  put  him  in  pos- 
session of  the  rules  and  instruments  to  execute 
his  will.  Happy  this  child  with  a  bias,  with  a 
thought  which  entrances  him,  leads  him,  now  into 
deserts,  now  into  cities,  the  fool  of  an  idea.  Let 
him  follow  it  in  good  and  evil  report,  in  good  or 
in  bad  company.  It  will  justify  itself ;  it  will  lead 
him  at  last  into  that  illustrious  society  of  the 
lovers  of  truth. 

i  *  Cannot  we  let  people  be  themselves  and  enjoy 
life  in  their  own  way?  You  are  trying  to  make 
that  man  another  you.    One 's  enough. 

"Or  we  sacrifice  the  genius  of  the  pupil,  the 
unknown  possibilities  of  his  nature,  to  a  weak  and 
safe  uniformity  as  the  Turks  whitewash  the  costly 
mosaics  of  ancient  art  which  the  Greeks  left  on 
their  temple  walls.  Eather  let  us  have  men  whose 
manhood  is  only  the  continuation  of  their  boyhood, 
natural  character  still:  such  are  able  and  fertile 
for  heroic  action ;  and  not  that  sad  spectacle  with 
which  we  are  too  familiar,  educated  eyes  in  un- 
educated bodies. 

1  '  I  like  boys,  the  masters  of  the  playground  and 
the  street — boys  who  have  the  same  liberal  ticket 
of  admission  to  all  shops,  factories,  armouries, 


26  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

town-meetings,  caucuses,  mobs,  target-shootings 
as  flies  have ;  quite  unsuspected,  coming  in  as  nat- 
urally as  the  janitor — known  to  have  no  money  in 
their  pockets,  and  themselves  not  suspecting  the 
value  of  this  poverty;  putting  nobody  on  his 
guard,  but  seeing  the  inside  of  the  show — hearing 
all  the  sides.  There  are  no  secrets  from  them, 
they  know  everything  that  befalls  in  the  fire  com- 
pany, the  merits  of  every  engine  and  of  every  man 
at  the  brakes,  how  to  work  it,  and  are  swift  to 
try  their  hand  on  every  part;  so,  too,  the  merits 
of  every  locomotive  on  the  rails,  and  will  coax 
the  engineers  to  let  them  ride  with  him  and  pull 
the  handles  when  it  goes  into  the  engine-house. 
They  are  there  only  for  fun,  and  not  knowing  that 
they  are  at  school,  in  the  court-house,  or  the  cattle 
show  quite  as  much  and  more  than  they  were,  an 
hour  ago,  in  the  arithmetic  class. 

"They  know  truth  from  counterfeit  as  quick 
as  the  chemist  does.  They  detect  weakness  in  your 
eye  and  behaviour  a  week  before  you  open  your 
mouth,  and  have  given  you  the  benefit  of  their 
opinion  quick  as  a  wink.  They  make  no  mistakes, 
have  no  pedantry,  but  entire  belief  in  experience.,, 

It  is  just  that  experience,  individual  and  social, 
which  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  aspires  to  pro- 
vide within  the  school  walls.  The  principles  out- 
lined in  Emerson's  picturesque  prose  are  its  prin- 
ciples. It  shows  the  way,  and  I  firmly  believe 
the  only  way,  to  make  school  as  attractive,  and  as 
educative  as  play,  and  ultimately  to  create  those 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  27 

fearless  human  beings  which,  understood  in  the 
widest  sense,  is  our  ideal. 

But  as  liberty  is  an  integral  part  of  that  ideal 
I  have  carefully  guarded  against  the  temptation 
to  make  my  plan  a  stereotyped  cast-iron  thing 
ready  to  fit  any  school  anywhere.  So  long  as  the 
principle  that  animates  it  is  preserved,  it  can  be 
modified  in  practice  in  accordance  with  the  circum- 
stances of  the  school  and  the  judgment  of  the 
staff.  For  this  reason  I  refrain  from  dogmatizing 
on  what  subjects  should  be  included  in  the  curric- 
ulum, or  by  what  standards  the  achievement  of 
pupils  should  be  measured.  Above  all,  I  do  not 
want  to  canalize  the  life-blood  of  citizenship.  On 
this  point  I  can  but  say  that  the  curriculum  of  any 
school  should  vary  according  to  the  needs  of  the 
pupils,  and  even  in  schools  where  it  is  designed 
to  serve  a  definite  academic  purpose,  this  aspect 
should  not  be  lost  sight  of  as  it  often  is.  Until 
the  educational  world  wakes  to  the  fact  that 
curriculum  is  not  the  chief  problem  of  society,  we 
shall,  I  fear,  continue  to  handicap  our  youth  by 
viewing  it  through  the  wrong  end  of  the  tele- 
scope. 

To-day  we  think  too  much  of  curricula  and  too 
little  about  the  boys  and  girls.  The  Dalton  Plan 
is  not  a  panacea  for  academic  ailments.  It  is  a 
plan  through  which  the  teacher  can  get  at  the 
problem  of  child  psychology  and  the  pupil  at  the 
problem  of  learning.  It  diagnoses  school  situations 
in  terms  of  boys  and  girls.     Subject  difficulties 


28  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

concern  students,  not  teachers.  The  curriculum  is 
but  our  technique,  a  means  to  an  end.  The  instru- 
ment to  be  played  upon  is  the  boy  or  girl. 

Under  the  conditions  that  exist  in  the  average 
school  the  energies  of  these  boys  and  girls  cannot 
flow  freely.  The  top-heavy  organization  has  been 
built  up  for  the  instructor,  and  with  it  teachers  are 
expected  to  solve  their  problems.  But  I  contend 
that  the  real  problem  of  education  is  not  a 
teacher's  but  a  pupil's  problem.  All  the  diffi- 
culties that  harass  the  teacher  are  created  by  the 
unsolved  difficulties  of  the  pupils.  When  the  latter 
disappear  the  former  will  vanish  also,  but  not  be- 
fore the  school  organization  and  its  attendant 
machinery  has  been  re-made  for  the  pupil,  who  is 
rendered  inefficient  and  irritable  by  being  com- 
pelled to  use  a  mechanism  that  is  not  his  own. 

The  first  thing,  therefore,  is  to  remove  all  im- 
pediments that  prevent  the  pupil  from  getting  at 
his  problem.  Only  he  knows  what  his  real  diffi- 
culties are,  and  unless  he  becomes  skilled  in  dis- 
persing them  he  will  become  skilled  in  concealing 
them.  Hitherto  our  educational  system  has  been 
content  to  tap  the  surface  water  of  his  energy. 
Now  we  must  try  to  reach  and  release  the  deep 
well  of  his  natural  powers.  In  doing  so  we  shall 
assist  and  encourage  the  expression  of  his  life- 
force  and  harness  it  to  the  work  of  education.  This 
is  not  to  be  achieved  by  doing  the  pupil's  work  for 
him,  but  by  making  it  possible  for  him  to  do  his 
own  work.   Harmony  between  teacher  and  pupil  is 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  29 

essential  if  we  would  avoid  those  emotional  con- 
flicts which  are  the  most  distracting  among  the  ills 
the  old  type  of  school  is  heir  to. 

Experience  of  the  Daiion  Laboratory  Plan 
ehows,  moreover,  that  it  is  beneficial  to  the  pupils 
morally  as  well  as  mentally.  Where  it  is  put  into 
operation  conflicts  cease,  disorder  disappears. 
The  resistance  generated  in  the  child  by  the  old 
inelastic  machinery  to  the  process  of  learning  is 
transformed  into  acquiescence,  and  then  into 
interest  and  industry  as  soon  as  he  is  released  to 
carry  out  the  educational  programme  in  his  own 
way.  'JTreedom  and  responsbility  together  per- 
form the  miracle.     J  

Briefly  summarized,  the  aim  of  the  Dalton  Plan 
is  a  synthetic  aim.  It  suggests  a  simple  and  eco- 
nomic way  by  means  of  which  the  school  as  a  whole 
can  function  as  a  community.  The  conditions  un- 
der which  the  pupils  live  and  work  are  the  chief 
factors  of  their  environment,  and  a  favourable 
environment  is  one  which  provides  opportunities 
for  spiritual  as  well  as  mental  growth.  It  is  the 
social  experience  accompanying  the  tasks,  not 
the  tasks  themselves,  which  stimulates  and  fur- 
thers both  these  kinds  of  growth.  Thus  the 
Dalton  Plan  lays  emphasis  upon  the  importance 
of  the  child's  living  while  he  does  his  work,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  acts  as  a  member  of  so- 
ciety, rather  than  upon  the  subjects  of  his  curri- 
culum.   It  is  the  sum  total  of  these  twin  expe- 


> 


30  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

riences  which  determines  his  character  and  his 
knowledge. 

As  illustrating  this  line  of  thought  I  cannot  do 
better  than  cite  a  passage  from  Miss  Emily 
Wilson's  book  entitled  An  Experiment  in  Syn- 
thetic Education*  It  is  a  little  book  which  con- 
tains a  big  message. 

"The  main  subjects  of  our  curriculum  must  be 
taught  synthetically — that  is,  in  their  relation  to 
each  other — and  not  in  self-contained  compart- 
ments. Only  in  the  synthetic  way,  only  by  realiz- 
ing and  constantly  emphasizing  that  to  know 
something  of  Man  we  must  study  and  correlate  his 
History,  his  environment,  his  Science,  Literature 
and  Art,  can  we  make  knowledge  a  living  and 
fruitful  organism  rather  than  a  dead  and  barren 
file.  .  .  . 

"It  is  necessary  to  emphasize  a  fact  not  suffi- 
ciently appreciated;  it  is  easier  to  learn  at  the 
same  time  two  subjects  that  have  living  relation- 
ships with  one  another  than  to  learn  one  subject 
which  is  represented  as  an  isolated  fact  having 
no  vital  relationship  with  anything  else.  Pure 
memory  work  is  difficult  and  a  burden  to  the  mind. 
The  moment  the  annual  examinations  are  over 
we  forget,  never  to  recall,  those  unrelated  facts 
with  which  we  crammed  our  youthful  brains.  But 
once  a  relation  is  established  as  between  one  sub- 
ject and  another,  both  those  subjects  in  so  far  as 

*  Quotation  made  by  permission  of  the  publishers. 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  31 

they  are  alive,  that  is  are  related,  are  retained 
with  perfect  ease.  .  .  . 

' '  That  this  consciousness  of  the  inter-relation  of 
all  subjects  cannot  fail  to  bear  good  fruit  in  the 
field  of  ethics  and  religion  will  be  obvious.  For 
service  and  co-operation  are  what  we  need  to  solve 
our  great  political  and  social  problems  to-day,  and 
synthetic  education  that  will  provide  that  large 
and  comprehensive  outlook  which  will  make  these 
virtues  a  habit  of  thought  and  a  practice  of  life. 
Some  such  total  vision  must  be  constantly  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher,  who  must  ever  be  on  the  look- 
out for  inter-relations  and  so  stir  within  the  minds 
of  the  children  the  faculty  of  creating  channels 
between  the  different  territories;  channels  which 
will  fertilize  the  whole  earth  between  them  and 
give  that  infinite  joy  which  comes  from  the  con- 
sciousness of  creatorship,  the  true  function  of 
man,  the  work  for  which  he  was  endowed  with  an 
immortal  spirit.* * 

From  the  parent's  point  of  view  the  principles 
of  the  Dalton  Plan  are  admirably  epitomized  in  a 
letter  recently  contributed  to  the  New  York  Even- 
ing Post  by  the  parent  of  two  pupils  attending  the 
Children's  University  School. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post: 

The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  is  a  decided 

novelty.    Its  adoption  in  England  before  we 

New  Yorkers  even  heard  about  it  shows  how 


82  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

much  more  popular  is  the  subject  of  education 
over  there  than  here. 

As  a  parent  of  two  children  I  wish  to  urge 
a  more  widespread  acquaintance  with  the 
methods  worked  out  in  the  Dalton  Plan.  It 
diagnoses  the  child's  dislike  for  his  studies 
as  not  due  to  the  studies  themselves,  but  to 
the  methods  used  in  teaching  him.  It  does  not 
start  out  with  the  belief  that  the  child  has 
an  innate  dislike  for  study.  It  is  the  fault  of 
the  educational  process  to  which  he  is  forced 
to  submit  which  embitters  his  young  soul 
against  any  or  all  subjects  indiscriminately. 
The  Dalton  Plan  is  not  an  arbitrary  process 
imposed  on  the  child  without  regard  to  his 
aptitude,  but  is  an  enlistment  of  the  child 's 
own  interest  in  his  acquisition  of  knowledge. 
The  Dalton  Plan  elicits  a  new  response  from 
the  child's  nature  by  inviting  him  to  under- 
take the  job  in  a  way  that  appeals  to  his  nat- 
ural desire  to  learn  things  in  his  own  way  and 
even  in  his  own  time.  The  teacher  gives  him 
the  same  friendly  help  and  encouragement  to 
master  his  problems  that  one  adult  would 
give  to  another  in  the  course  of  business  or 
any  undertaking  of  life,  but  the  child  is  em- 
barked on  an  adventure  into  the  realms  of 
knowledge  with  his  own  standard  flying  at 
the  peak  and  his  own  command  of  his  re- 
sources. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  culture.    We  treas- 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRINCIPLE  33 

ure  it  as  the  embodiment  of  our  civilization 
and  we  know  that  the  stability  of  our  social 
life  depends  upon  the  majority  of  our  young 
people  getting  at  least  the  elements  of  that 
culture.  The  Dalton  Plan  points  a  way  to 
make  the  process  natural  and  spontaneous 
rather  than  forced  and  arbitrary.  It  evokes 
in  the  child  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  and  ini- 
tiative and  so  starts  his  character  building  at 
once.  Here  is  life  experience  for  the  little 
fellow.  He  studies  on  his  own  responsibility 
in  the  company  of  his  fellows,  all  pursuing  the 
same  adventure.  He  forms  the  same  kind  of 
relationships  in  his  school  life  that  he  will 
afterwards  get  in  his  business  or  professional 
life.  He  is  learning  by  trying.  He  is  not 
struggling  under  constant  direction  and  re- 
straint. He  is  part  of  the  real  life  of  the 
world,  sharing  its  problems,  realizing  the 
emptiness  of  idleness,  and  enjoying  the  re- 
wards of  industry.  There  is  nothing  false 
or  artificial  in  these  relationships.  But,  most 
important  of  all,  the  Dalton  Plan  starts  him 
out  on  this  basis  full  ten  or  fifteen  years  ahead 
of  the  boy  or  girl  who  is  now  going  through 
the  treadmill  of  our  day  schools. 


CHAPTEB  in 

The  Plan  in  Practice 

I  come  now  to  a  consideration  of  the  Dalton 
Laboratory  Plan  in  its  practical  application  to  the 
problem  of  education.  Perhaps  in  order  to  clear 
the  ground  it  is  well  to  begin  by  indicating  what 
it  is  not. 

The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  is  not  a  system  or 
a  method,  which  through  ages  of  use  has  petrified 
into  a  monotonous  and  uniform  shape,  to  be 
branded  on  to  succeeding  generations  of  pupils 
as  sheep  are  branded  on  going  into  a  fold.  It 
is  not  a  curriculum,  which,  all  too  often,  is  simply 
the  machine  by  means  of  which  the  brand  is 
stamped  upon  the  individuals  caught  in  the 
meshes  of  the  system.  Practically  speaking,  it  is 
a  scheme  of  educational  reorganization  which 
reconciles  the  twin  activities  of  teaching  and  learn- 
ing. When  intelligently  applied  it  creates  condi- 
tions which  enable  the  teacher  to  teach  and  the 
learner  to  learn. 

In  order  to  apply  the  scheme  it  is  not  necessary 
or  even  desirable  to  abolish  classes  or  forms  as 
units  of  organization  in  the  school,  nor  the  curri- 
culum as  such.    The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  pre- 

34 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRACTICE  35 

serves  both.  Each  pupil  is  classified  as  a  member 
of  a  form,  and  for  each  form  a  maximum  and  a 
minimum  curriculum  is  drawn  up.  But  at  its 
inception  it  lays  the  whole  work  proposition  be- 
fore the  pupils  in  the  shape  of  a  contract  job.  The 
curriculum  is  divided  up  into  jobs  and  the  pupil 
accepts  the  work  assigned  for  his  class  as  a  con- 
tract. Though  dispensed  with  above  middle  school, 
the  younger  children  may  sign  a  definite  contract 
which  is  returned  to  each  individual  as  soon  as 
his  job  is  completed. 

"I ,  pupil  of standard  form,  contract 

to  do  the assignment. 

Date  and  signature .' 

As  every  month  of  the  year  has  its  own  as- 
signed work,  a  contract-job  for  any  one  form  com- 
prises a  whole  month's  work.  For  convenience 
we  arrange  the  different  parts  of  the  curriculum 
under  the  heading  of  major  and  minor  subjects: 

Major  Subjects.  Minob  Subjects. 

Mathematics  Music 

History  Art 

Science  Handiwork 

English  Domestic  Science 

Geography  Manual  Training 
Foreign  Languages,  etc.     Gymnastics,  etc. 

The  first  category  of  subjects  is  not  more  im- 
portant than  the  other,  but  they  are  classified  as 
"major"  because  they  are  used  as  the  basis  of 


86  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

promotion  in  most  schools,  and  college  entrance 
examinations  thus  necessitate  that  more  time 
should  be  given  to  them.  The  value  of  the  minor 
subjects  lies  in  their  expansive  influence  upon  the 
student.  The  study  of  them  creates  a  response 
to  beauty  and  also  an  increased  power  of  expres- 
sion. But  if  in  the  lower  school,  which  includes 
children  ranging  from  eight  to  twelve  years,  for- 
eign languages  are  not  required  as  a  basis  for 
promotion,  they  should  be  classified  as  minor  sub- 
jects for  lower-school  pupils. 

For  the  purpose  of  simplifying  the  initial  appli- 
cation of  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan,  I  recom- 
<-- f^tnend  that  it  should  be  applied  firstly  to  major  sub- 
jects alone.  As  the  new  scheme  becomes  familiar 
it  can  gradually  be  extended  to  the  minor  subjects. 
Take,  for  example,  a  school  wherein  the  major  sub- 
jects for  Form  II  are  Mathematics,  Science,  His- 
tory, Geography,  English,  and  French.  The  first 
contract-job  for  a  pupil  belonging  to  that  form 
would  be  a  block  of  the  year 's  curriculum  compris- 
ing a  month's  work  in  each  of  these  major  sub- 
jects. In  the  United  States  we  reckon  a  school 
month  as  twenty  days.  The  contract  would  there- 
fore cover  the  ground  divided  as  below : 

TWENTY  DAYS 
Form  II  Contract  Job 

1  month       1  month       1  month       1  month       1  month       1  month 

of  of  of  of  of  of 

French        English        Science     Mathematics  Geography     History 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRACTICE  37' 

This  diagram  represents  a  required  standard 
of  work  for  the  performance  of  which  each  pupil 
in  Form  II  would  contract.  Though  the  standard 
is  the  same,  the  pupils  are  not.  As  their  mental 
legs  must  be  of  different  lengths,  their  rate  of 
speed  in  study  must  vary  also.  Some  may  not 
even  need  the  twenty  days  for  their  contracted 
work ;  others  may  not  be  able  to  get  it  done  in  that 
time.  It  is  of  the  essence  of  the  Dalton  Labora- 
tory Plan  that  pupils  should  progress  each 
at  his  own  rate,  for  only  so  can  the  work  be  assimi- 
lated thoroughly.  Thus  each  pupil  must  be  al- 
lowed to  organize  his  method  of  working  as  he 
thinks  best.  Unfortunately  at  the  outset  we  can- 
not assume  that  these  pupils  know  how  to  work, 
though  as  the  new  plan  is  put  into  operation  they 
will  gradually  learn  to  organize  both  their  time 
and  work  to  better  and  better  advantage.  But 
efficiency  means  speed,  and  speed  will  only  be  at- 
tained when  good  habits  of  work  are  established. 
It  takes  time  to  counteract  the  habit  of  dependence 
bred  in  the  pupil  by  constantly  telling  him  what  to 
do,  when  and  how  to  do  it.  This  system  made 
him  a  servant,  occasionally  an  efficient  servant, 
but  always  dependent  on  orders.  And  though  the 
reorganization  of  school  machinery  is  quickly 
effected  the  response  of  the  pupil  to  the  changed 
conditions  is  not  always  as  rapid.  It  is  the  busi- 
ness of  the  teacher  to  see  that  the  adjustment  pro- 
ceeds, however,  slowly.  The  process  can  be  helped 
by  making  the  divided  curriculum  clear,  and  by 


38  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

seeing  that  the  pupil  grasps  the  whole  scope  and 
nature  of  the  work  he  contracts  to  accomplish. 
Unless  he  understands  what  is  required  of  him 
his  organization  of  his  time  will  be  defective. 

By  giving  his  task  in  the  form  of  a  contract  for 
whose  execution  he  feels  himself  responsible,  we 
give  the  work  dignity  and  him  the  conscious- 
ness of  a  definite  purpose.  This  feeling  is  in- 
creased if  we  make  him  aware  of  our  confidence 
in  his  desire  and  in  his  power  to  execute  it.  A 
pupil  must  not,  however,  be  permitted  to  continue 
the  study  of  any  major  subject  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  month's  assignment  unless  he  has  completed 
his  contract  in  every  subject.  He  must  not  be  al- 
lowed to  work  up  to  a  higher  standard  than  his 
form  average  in  one  or  two  subjects  and  fall  below 
it  in  the  rest  of  them.  This  would  merely  give 
him  an  opportunity  of  evading  progress  in  those 
studies  in  which  he  is  weak  and  lose  to  him  the 
value  of  correlated  and  vitalized  subjects.  Uni- 
formity of  standard  insures  that  he  will  so  or- 
ganize his  time  that  most  of  it  will  be  devoted  to 
overcome  his  individual  weaknesses  and  dimcul- 
-zHies.  The  plan  teaches  him  to  budget  his  time  so 
that  it  is  sufficient  to  his  needs  and  to  have  him  go 
slowly  and  thoroughly.  In  this  way  he  will  be 
well  prepared  for  each  succeeding  step.  His  sub- 
ject diet  will  be  well  balanced  and  his  culture  will 
be  well  rounded. 

The  amount  of  any  monthly  assignment  is  a 
part  and  a  very  vital  part  of  the  teacher's  prob- 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRACTICE  39 

lem.  A  good  curriculum  should  be  so  balanced 
and  co-related  that  neither  too  much  nor  too  little 
is  included  in  the  contract- job.  In  the  lower  school 
not  more  should  be  required  than  the  pupils  can 
easily  accomplish  by  a  wise  division  of  their  time. 
That  a  ten-year-old  child  should  learn  all  that  a 
normal  child  of  his  age  can  learn  is  the  ideal  to 
set  before  us.  A  study  of  child  psychology  is  nec- 
essary if  we  are  to  reorganize  the  machinery  of 
education  so  that  it  corresponds  to  his  powers  and 
satisfies  his  needs  at  every  age. 

Turning  from  the  pupil  to  the  school  building, 
it  is  evident  that  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan 
exacts  the  establishment  of  laboratories,  one  for 
each  subject  in  the  curriculum,  though  with  a  small 
teaching  staff  two  subjects  may  be  studied  in  a 
single  laboratory.  A  specialist  in  that  particular 
subject,  or  subjects,  should  be  in  charge  of  each 
laboratory  whose  relation  to  the  scheme  I  will 
deal  with  later  on.  For  the  moment  I  want  to  em- 
phasize the  point  that  these  laboratories  are  the 
places  where  the  children  experiment — where  they 
are  free  to  work  on  their  jobs,  not  places  where 
they  are  experimented  upon. 

The  text-book  library  of  the  school  must  be  dis- 
tributed among  these  laboratories  according  to 
subject.  It  is  of  course  essential  that  the  neces- 
sary books  should  be  always  accessible  to  every 
student — a  supply  of  scientific  books  in  the  science 
laboratory,  history  books  in  the  history  labora- 
tory, and  so  on.    With  regard  to  these  books,  it 


40  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

is  well  to  have  a  few  standard  text-books  and  to 
increase  as  far  as  possible  the  number  of  reference 
books.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  including  in  the  school 
library  books  that  are  designed  for  adult  readers, 
the  kind  of  books  which  have  hitherto  been  found 
rather  on  home,  than  on  school,  bookshelves.  Re- 
member that  no  book  can  be  too  well  written  to 
interest  a  child.  The  dry  terseness  of  the  ordinary 
school  manual,  devoid  of  any  literary  quality,  is 
responsible  for  half  the  distaste  of  learning  so 
characteristic  of  the  average  school  boy  or  girl. 
It  is  at  school  that  our  future  men  and  women 
should  become  acquainted  with  those  literary 
treasures  which  are  the  common  heritage  of 
humanity.  And  regarded  merely  as  a  mine  of  in- 
formation, nothing  could  be  more  valuable  in  the 
development  of  the  pupil's  intelligence  than  the 
opportunity  thus  given  him  of  comparing  the  dif- 
ferent views  of  different  authors  on  the  subject  he 
is  studying. 

Among  the  impediments  to  true  education  which 
is  ruthlessly  abolished  by  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  is  the  time-table.  Even  to  the  teacher  the 
time-table  is  a  bugbear.  How  often  have  I  heard 
head  masters  and  mistresses  complain  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  dividing  time  so  that  no  member  of  the 
teaching  staff  should  feel  his  special  subjects 
slighted!  As  a  result  the  time-table  is  usually 
compiled  rather  in  the  interest  of  the  instructors 
than  of  the  pupils.    To  the  latter  the  time-table 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRACTICE  41 

is  nothing  less  than  a  curse.  Its  banishment  is  in 
fact  the  first  step  towards  his  liberation. 

Let  us  assume  that  in  a  given  school  laboratory 
time  for  all  classes  or  forms  extends  from  9  to 
12  o  'clock  every  morning.  Under  the  Dalton  Plan 
this  three-hour  period  is  devoted  to  the  study  of 
the  major  subjects — Geography,  History,  Mathe- 
matics, Science,  English,  and  French.  Before  set- 
ting out  to  organize  their  time  themselves  each 
pupil  consults  his  teacher,  who,  under  the  new 
plan,  has  become  a  subject  specialist,  or  adviser. 
Together  they  go  over  the  pupil's  contract  work, 
classifying  his  subjects  as  strong  and  weak. 
Those  subjects  which  a  child  loves  and  enjoys 
studying  will  usually  be  found  among  his  strong 
subjects.  The  subjects  he  is  weak  in  are  almost 
invariably  those  which  he  finds  difficult  to  under- 
stand and  assimilate,  chiefly  because  he  has  not 
hitherto  been  able  to  give  enough  time  to  them. 

For  the  sake  of  clarity  I  will  take  a  concrete 
example.  Mary  Smith  is  a  member  of  Form  II. 
When,  with  the  aid  of  her  adviser,  she  has  sorted 
out  her  subjects,  we  will  suppose  that  they  fall 
into  the  two  following  categories : 

Weak  Subjects.  Strong  Subjects. 

Mathematics  English 

French  History 

Geography 

Science 


42  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

In  relation  to  the  three  hours'  laboratory  time 
at  her  disposal  we  may  express  her  individual 
needs  by  the  following  equation : 

Theee  Houbs'  Laboratory  Time 

Mathematic8-J-French  ss   English-f-History4-Geography-|-Science 
(Weak  Subjects)  (Strong  Subjects) 

Having  accepted  her  contract-job  she  must  keep 
the  whole  job  in  mind,  and  being  weak  in  French 
and  Mathematics  she  needs  to  devote  as  much  time 
to  them  as  to  her  four  strong  subjects.  But  if  the 
time-table  were  in  force,  Mary,  despite  her  diffi- 
culties, would  only  be  allowed  as  long  for  her 
Mathematics  and  French  as  the  other  pupils  in 
Form  II,  many  of  whom  might  be  strong  in  them. 
Can  a  more  complete  condemnation  of  the  time- 
table be  found  than  this  simple  demonstration  of 
its  working? 

Emancipated  from  its  tyranny,  Mary's  equation 
will  change  as  she  eliminates  antipathy  to,  or 
weakness  in,  those  subjects.  But  as  long  as  her 
problem  can  be  expressed  in  the  terms  of  the  above 
equation,  she  should  devote  half  of  her  three  avail- 
able hours  every  day  to  Mathematics  and  French, 
and  only  the  remaining  half  to  the  other  four 
subjects.  If  she  is  stronger  in  French  than  in 
Mathematics  then  the  one-and-one-half  hours 
should  be  divided  accordingly. 

Mary,  will,  however,  be  free  to  choose  which 
subject  she  will  take  up  first,  and  she  will  go  into 
the  laboratory  consecrated  to  that  subject.  Hav- 
ing chosen  it  at  the  moment  when  her  interest  in 


THE  PLAN  IN  PRACTICE  43 

it  is  keen,  she  will  do  better  work  and  do  it  more 
quickly  too.  Once  in  the  laboratory  Mary  pro- 
ceeds to  study  as  an  individual,  but  if  she  finds 
other  members  from  Form  II  there  she  works  with 
them.  This  is  the  rule  of  the  laboratory  under 
the  Dalton  Plan.  It  subdivides  and  reduces  the 
large  class  group  and  it  creates  a  small  group  of 
pupils  doing  intensive  work,  which  stimulates  dis- 
cussion and  exercises  social  influence.  The  edu- 
cative value  of  such  small  groups  is  immense  in 
giving  an  atmosphere  to  the  laboratory,  in  pro- 
viding occasions  for  social  adjustment  and  expe- 
rience. It  provides  invaluable  play  of  mind  upon 
mind.  As  Mary  has  entered  that  laboratory  vol- 
untarily, and  can  leave  it  for  another  when  she 
feels  inclined,  no  problems  of  discipline  arise. 
Her  mind  comes  in  with  her  and  goes  out  with  her, 
disciplined  by  interest  in  the  subject,  harnessed — 
the  whole  of  it — to  her  job.  No  time  is  wasted, 
for  though  the  general  time-table  has  gone  Mary 
has,  in  consultation  with  her  adviser,  made  a 
time-table  for  herself.  This  is  very  important, 
especially  in  the  case  of  the  younger  children,  in 
order  to  inculcate  the  value  of  time.  To  spend  it 
in  supplying  our  mental  and  moral  needs  is  to  put 
it  to  the  wisest  use. 

It  is  also  essential  to  Mary  that  she  should 
realize  exactly  what  progress  she  is  making  in  the 
subject  of  her  choice.  For  this  purpose  I  invented 
the  graph  device  before  alluded  to.  As  it  merits 
a  chapter  to  itself  I  will  only  now  refer  to  it  cas- 


44  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

ually  as  a  part  of  the  laboratory  equipment  and 
procedure.  There  are  three  sets  of  graphs.  The 
first  provides  each  special  teacher  and  adviser 
with  the  means  of  following  the  individual  prog- 
ress of  each  pupil,  and  of  comparing  it  with  that  of 
the  other  members  of  the  class.  It  also  enables 
the  pupil  himself  to  compare  his  progress  with 
that  of  his  classmates.  But  Mary  has  also  her  own 
contract-job  graph,  on  which  she  records  her  daily 
progress.  The  third  graph  pictures  the  progress 
of  the  class  or  form  a  whole,  as  well  as  the 
individual  progress. 

So  that  the  pupil  should  never  lose  sight  of  the 
job  in  its  entirety,  progress  is  measured  in  weeks 
of  work  accomplished.  Mary  has  six  major  sub- 
jects with  four  weeks  of  work  on  each  of  them. 
Her  contract  thus  entails  twenty-four  weeks  of 
work.  On  the  weekly  graph  she  is  therefore 
marked,  not  in  each  separate  subject,  but  in  the 
number  of  weeks'  work  done  out  of  the  total  re- 
quired, week  by  week. 

In  this  manner  a  pupil  advances  steadily,  job 
by  job,  through  the  curriculum  of  his  class.  If 
in  a  school  year  of  nine  or  ten  months  he  only 
finishes  eight  jobs  on  account  of  absence  or  illness, 
he  begins  the  ninth  job  in  the  following  year.  The 
clever  child  may,  on  the  contrary,  accomplish  in 
one  year  the  work  mapped  out  to  cover  eighteen 
months.  Often  the  slow,  apparently  less  intelli- 
gent, child  gains  in  rapidity,  and  in  any  case  he 
builds  well  and  soundly  at  his  own  natural  rate. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Its  Application — A  Concrete  Example 

The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  can  be  applied  to 
the  reorganization  of  any  school  with  the  excep- 
tion of  infant  or  primary  schools  designed  for 
children  under  nine  years  of  age.  Above  that 
limit  we  classify  schools  in  the  United  States  into 
lower,  middle,  and  npper,  but  as  I  am  writing 
mainly  for  British  readers  I  shall  use  the  terms 
u elementary "  and  "secondary"  in  the  English 
sense  when  alluding  to  English  schools.  In  Amer- 
ica an  elementary  school  is  a  lower  school,  ordi- 
narily consisting  of  fourth  to  eighth  grades  in- 
clusive, and  may  be  private  or  public,  that  is,  pay- 
ing or  free.  With  us,  public  schools  are  invariably 
free  schools  supported  out  of  public  funds,  not,  as 
in  the  case  of  Eton  and  Harrow,  open  only  to 
pupils  whose  parents  are  able  to  pay  for  their 
tuition.    • 

As  a  general  rule  the  Dalton  Plan  is  applied 
as  an  efficiency  measure  for  the  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing a  programme  of  work  already  standard- 
ized for  the  different  forms  or  grades.  It  is 
susceptible,  however,  of  a  much  greater  extension 
in  the  direction  of  our  ideal  in  education,  as  some 

45 


46  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

day  I  hope  it  will  be,  by  being  applied  to  the  or- 
ganization of  a  new  venture  instead  of  the  re- 
organization of  an  old  one.  In  this  case  it  could  be 
used  for  the  carrying  out  of  a  freer  curriculum 
composed  entirely  of  projects  set  by  the  pupils 
themselves,  and  where  the  instructors  would  be 
regarded  as  consultant  specialists. 

At  the  moment,  however,  I  shall  confine  my  ob- 
servations to  its  application  as  an  efficiency  meas- 
ure involving  both  academic  and  social  re- 
organization. In  this  connection  I  must  again  in- 
sist upon  the  necessity  of  bearing  always  in  mind 
that  my  plan  or  "way"  connotes  not  only  a  change 
of  curriculum  or  method,  but  a  change  in  the 
whole  life  and  spirit  of  the  school.  This  sociali- 
zation of  the  school,  as  I  call  it,  is  as  vital  to  the 
success  of  the  experiment  as  is  the  liberation  of 
the  pupil. 

As  a  concrete  illustration  of  my  meaning  I  will 
describe  the  initiation  of  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  in  a  lower  school,  dealing  first  with  the 
academic  aspect  of  the  question.  In  this  school 
there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  children  ranging 
in  age  from  nine  to  thirteen.  They  were  classified 
in  five  grades,  fourth  to  eighth  inclusive,  with 
thirty  pupils  in  each  grade.  This  school  was  a 
free  public  school.  Had  it  been  private  and  pay- 
ing the  classes  would  certainly  have  been  smaller. 

These  five  grades  occupied  five  rooms,  each 
grade  being  in  charge  of  a  regular  form,  or  grade 
teacher.    Mathematics,  History,  Geography,  Eng- 


ITS  APPLICATION  47 

lish,  and  Science  being  considered  the  major  sub- 
jects, or  "tools  of  knowledge,"  were  taught  in 
each  grade.  They  were  the  standardized  funda- 
mentals and  were,  moreover,  regarded  as  the  basis 
of  promotion.  French,  Music,  Art,  Gymnastics, 
Needlework,  and  Cooking  were  considered  minor 
subjects,  but  after  the  adoption  of  the  plan  French 
became  a  major  subject.  Before  that  time  the 
major  subjects  received  daily  attention  in  oral 
lessons,  the  minor  ones  several  times  a  week, 
though  music  was  in  a  way  a  daily  task  as  the 
children  usually  inaugurated  the  school  hours  with 
singing.  Practically  the  whole  morning  was  given 
up  to  the  first  category  of  subjects,  while  the 
afternoon  was  reserved  for  the  second.  Subse- 
quently, music  and  art  were  put  upon  a  laboratory 
basis,  and  full-time,  instead  of  twice-weekly, 
instructors,  were  engaged  to  teach  them. 

For  some  time  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  had 
been  under  discussion  when  one  day  the  principal 
called  the  five  form  mistresses  to  a  conference 
on  the  matter.  These  mistresses  were  just  aver- 
age teachers,  neither  more  nor  less  intelligent  than 
the  majority  in  their  profession.  Their  observa- 
tions disclosed  varying  degrees  of  dissatisfaction 
with  the  working  of  the  old  system.  Several  of 
them  agreed  that  its  demand  that  each  instructor 
should  be  an  expert  in  the  teaching  of  every  sub- 
ject in  the  curriculum  was  inclined  to  make  them 
jack-of-all-trades  and  masters  of  none.  All  of 
them  testified  to  the  constant,  and  often  insuper- 


48  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

able,  difficulty  of  arousing  the  interest  of  the  pu- 
pils in  their  lessons.  Much  class-time  was  wasted 
in  overcoming  their  disinclination  to  proceed  with 
the  scheduled  business  of  the  day.  One  teacher 
rather  pathetically  described  her  efforts  to  drama- 
tize the  lesson  in  the  hope  of  interesting  the  chil- 
dren. After  searching  the  library  to  get  up  the 
subject  she  would  often  spend  the  night  in  pre- 
paring to  present  it  in  a  thrilling  and  exciting 
manner.  Her  subject  was  history,  and  she  related 
how  she  had  once  tried  to  win  the  attention  of 
the  children  with  a  romantic  account  of  the 
French-Indian  war.  But  her  only  reward  for  all 
this  expenditure  of  energy  was  an  appeal  from 
one  of  the  children  for  information  regarding  the 
North  Pole  and  Eskimos,  suggested  probably  by 
the  snow  that  was  then  falling  outside  the  school 
windows ! 

Similar  experiences  were  detailed  by  other 
teachers.  The  impossibility  of  adjusting  the  char- 
acter of  the  lesson  and  its  length  to  pupils  whose 
capacity  for  absorption  varied  from  child  to  child, 
was  also  cited  as  a  defect  in  the  system  by  all  the 
teachers  in  unison.  It  was  usually  too  short  for 
the  alert  pupil  to  whom  the  subject  was  easy,  and 
who  was  consequently  quick  at  the  up-take.  It 
was  too  long  for  the  child  whose  mind  had  flown 
out  of  the  window  after  something  about  which  he 
was  naturally  enthusiastic,  and  far  too  long  for 
the  slow-minded  pupil  who  needed  much  explana- 
tion and  who  grasped  ideas  slowly.    Even  those 


ITS  APPLICATION  49 

among  the  teachers  who  considered  themselves 
good  disciplinarians  acknowledged  that,  though 
able  to  control  the  bodies  of  their  pupils,  the  soul 
almost  invariably  escaped  their  authority. 

A  series  of  questions  put  by  the  principal  elicited 
the  fact  that  every  one  of  the  teachers  had  a  fa- 
vourite subject  which  she  would  like  to  teach  all 
the  time,  while  several  added  that  the  effort  to 
impart  knowledge  on  a  variety  of  subjects  was 
totally  disproportionate  to  the  result  achieved  with 
their  pupils.  It  is  not  surprising  that  under  these 
circumstances  all  five,  mistresses  received  with 
relief  and  joy  the  announcement  that  the  old  un- 
satisfactory system  was  to  be  abandoned.  They 
were  then  told  that  the  school  was  to  be  reorgan- 
ized on  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan,  under  which 
each  instructor  would  be  able  to  devote  all  her 
energy  to  teaching  her  best  subject  and  only  that. 
Every  one  of  the  old  grade  rooms  was  henceforth 
to  be  converted  into  a  laboratory  where  pupils 
belonging  to  all  grades  would  come  to  study  that 
one  particular  subject  with  the  help  of  the  teacher 
who  adopted  it. 

The  next  step  was  the  rearrangement  of  school 
equipment  preliminary  to  the  initiation  of  the 
new  plan.  All  the  geographical  apparatus  books, 
maps,  and  globes  were  concentrated  in  one  room, 
the  surplus  above  what  would  in  future  be 
required  demonstrating  the  superiority  of  the 
Dalton  Plan  from  the  point  of  view  of  economy. 
The  same  transportation  was  effected  of  all  the 


50  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

tools  pertaining  to  the  study  of  the  other  subjects, 
and  lastly  the  library  was  distributed  among  the 
laboratories  upon  the  same  principle.  Already  it 
was  evident  that  the  vitalizing  process  had  begun. 
A  new  spirit  seemed  to  prevail  among  the  teachers 
which  made  them  friends  on  a  new  plane  instead 
of  rivals.  Each  realized  she  would  have,  in  future, 
a  definite  and  sympathetic  domain  in  which  her  in- 
terests would  not  clash  with  those  of  any  of  her 
colleagues.  Of  course  there  were  some  misgiv- 
ings; some  half -expressed  fears  of  failure  when 
the  great  innovation  should  be  put  to  the  acid  test 
of  practice.  What  would  happen,  some  of  them 
wondered,  if  certain  pupils  known  for  their  in- 
genuity in  bringing  the  most  promising  schemes 
of  teachers  to  naught  should  set  out  to  wreck  the 
new  experiment?  But  to  all  these  doubts  and  an- 
ticipations of  evil  the  principal  opposed  her  cheer- 
ful optimism.  She  had  faith  in  the  miracle  and 
declared  it.  Once  in  operation  the  resistance  of 
the  children  would,  she  was  convinced,  fade  like 
frost  in  June.  "Change  the  conditions,"  she  re- 
peated, "and  you  change  the  pressure.  Change 
the  pressure  and  you  will  change  the  product." 
The  fact  that  in  this  school  the  decision  to  adopt 
the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  was  taken  at  the  end 
of  the  term  made  the  necessary  time  available  to 
prepare  both  materially  and  psychologically. 
When  the  old  classroom  desks  were  re-grouped  in 
the  laboratories  they  were  placed  front  to  front, 
five  together,  to  make  tables  for  the  use  of  the 


ITS  APPLICATION  51 

separate  grade  groups.  In  order  to  facilitate 
adjustment  to  the  new  organization  these  latter 
were  numbered  4,  5,  6,  7,  8  to  indicate  the  different 
grade  groups  that  were  to  use  them.  Coloured 
cards  corresponding  to  the  numbers  were  chosen  to 
designate  the  different  grades,  and  also  the  indi- 
vidual graphs  for  the  checking  of  progress.  In 
the  hall  one  hundred  and  fifty  lockers  were  erected 
and  numbered  to  serve  as  a  receptacle  where  each 
pupil  could  keep  the  miscellaneous  articles  which 
formerly  accumulated  in  the  classroom  desk. 
Finally,  the  art  mistress  provided  each  of  her  col- 
leagues with  a  sign  card  that  was  fixed  to  the  door 
of  each  laboratory  to  indicate  the  subject.  Just 
outside  a  notice  board  was  placed  to  carry  grade 
assignments;  inside  there  was  a  similar  board 
destined  for  laboratory  graphs.  The  conversion 
of  a  store-room  into  a  staff-room — which  till  then, 
had  been  entirely  lacking — with  its  own  notice 
board  completed  the  transformation  scene. 

The  following  simple  diagram  will  show  what 
the  transformation  from  one  teacher  with  many 
subjects  to  one  teacher  with  one  subject  meant  to 
the  staff. 

Miss  A:  4th  Grade  Math.  5  Gr.  Math.  6  Gr.  Math.  7  Gr.  Math.  8  Gr.  Math. 
Miss  B:        "  Erg.       "       Eng.        "       Eng.       "       Eng.       "       Eng. 

Miss  C:        "  Hist.       "        Hist.       "        Hist.       "        Hist.       "       Hist. 

Miss  D:        "  Geog.      "        Geog.      "       Geog.      "        Geog.      "       Geog. 

Miss  E:        "  Science  "        Sci.         "        Sci.         "      Sci.  "      Sci. 

With  regard  to  the  important  question  of  as- 
signment the  average  capacity  of  each  grade  was 
carefully  considered  in  order  to  determine  the 


52  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

amount  of  work  which  ought  to  be  required  from 
the  pupils  of  each  of  the  five  grades  during  a 
school  month  of  twenty  days.  This  investigation 
revealed  the  enormous  amount  of  work  which  had 
been  set,  and  made  the  teachers  realize  how  "over- 
padded"  the  assignments  were.  A  process  of  cut- 
ting down  was  then  resorted  to.  Departmental 
cuts  were  effected  between  departments  by  agree- 
ment, by  crediting  the  pupils  with  a  certain  scale 
of  work  already  fulfilled.  Academic  cuts  reduced 
the  amount  of  subject  matter.  When  completed, 
these  assignments  were  attached  to  coloured  cards 
corresponding  to  the  grade  colours  and  hung  on 
the  notice  boards  outside  the  laboratories.  Outside 
the  history  laboratory  all  the  history  assignments 
for  the  five  grades  were  hung,  and  so  on.  On  the 
notice  boards  inside  the  laboratories  correspond- 
ingly coloured  laboratory  graphs  were  fixed  for 
recording  individual  progress. 

A  detailed  exposition  of  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  was  given  to  each  teacher  for  study  during 
the  holidays.  When  the  pupils  assembled  at  the 
beginning  of  the  next  term  the  principal  gave  them 
a  simple  explanation  of  the  changes  that  had  been 
made  in  the  organization  of  their  work,  and 
showed  them  how  the  contract  cards  and  graphs 
were  to  be  used.  They  were  told  that  the  time- 
tables and  the  class-bell  had  been  abolished ;  that 
henceforward  they  were  free  to  enter  any  labora- 
tory quietly  without  asking  permission,  and  to 
work  there  on  any  subject  as  long  as  they  desired. 


ITS  APPLICATION  53 

The  three  hours,  from  9  to  12,  would  now  be  con- 
sidered as  their  own  time  for  the  use  of  which 
they  were  individually  responsible.  It  was  to  be 
budgeted  according  to  the  difficulties  each  subject 
presented  to  each  pupil.  It  was  explained  that 
they  would  be  checked  academically  according  to 
their  progress  towards  fulfillment  of  the  con- 
tracted job,  and  socially  according  to  the  way  in 
which  they  " shouldered  the  job."  At  12  o'clock 
the  fourth  grade  were  told  to  report  to  Miss  A 
in  the  mathematic  laboratory.  She  would  then 
and  thereafter  once  each  week,  give  them  an  oral 
lesson  in  mathematics.  Similarly,  the  fifth  grade 
was  to  report  to  Miss  B ;  the  sixth  to  Miss  C ;  the 
seventh  to  Miss  D ;  and  the  eighth  to  Miss  E.  This 
first  assignment  to  oral  lessons  began  for  each 
grade  with  the  subject  specialist  who  acted  also  as 
the  advisor  for  a  particular  grade  or  class.  The 
social  and  ethical  aspects  of  the  Dalton  Labora- 
tory Plan  were  not  alluded  to  on  that  occasion. 
This  side  of  the  new  method  was  first  discussed 
with  the  parents  and  subsequently  with  the  pupils 
themselves. 

Although  somewhat  confused  about  it  all,  the 
interest  of  the  children  in  the  new  scheme  was 
immediately  evident.  In  order  to  help  its  ini- 
tiation on  that  very  first  morning  the  principal 
assigned  groups  to  the  various  laboratories.  As 
there  were  thirty  pupils  in  each  grade,  she  as- 
signed six  pupils  from  each  grade,  making  thirty 
in  all,  to  each  of  the  subject  laboratories  for 


54  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

further  instruction  in  the  scheme  from  the  mis- 
tress who  was  awaiting  their  arrival. 

On  account  of  what  happened  in  Miss  D's  lab- 
oratory may  be  taken  as  typical  of  the  events  of 
the  morning  in  all  the  other  laboratories.  Each 
group  was  isolated  together  round  the  cluster  of 
desks  which  had  been  set  apart  for  each  grade.  The 
grade  assignments  from  the  outside  notice  boards 
were  distributed  among  the  groups,  one  pupil  in 
each  reading  it  quietly  to  the  rest,  while  Miss  D 
went  from  one  to  another  offering  suggestions  and 
giving  assistance.  Notebooks  were  then  distri- 
buted to  each  pupil,  one  for  each  subject,  which 
were  either  to  be  left  in  the  laboratory  or  kept 
in  the  locker.  After  the  entire  assignment  had 
been  read  copies  of  it  were  distributed  for  the 
general  use  of  each  group  with  instructions  to 
leave  them  in  a  portfolio  upon  the  grade-tables 
or  desks.  The  time  had  now  come  when  they  were 
told  to  start  work  and  to  communicate  either  with 
a  member  of  their  group  or  with  their  teacher  in 
case  they  desired  help.  Without  communication 
intimate  discussion  and  play  of  mind  upon  mind 
would  have  been  impossible.  The  laboratory 
would  have  become  a  mere  study  hall,  not  an  inter- 
acting stimulating  society.  When  any  pupil  had 
finished  any  portion  of  the  first  week's  assignment 
he  was  told  that  he  might  leave  that  laboratory 
and  go  into  any  other  he  preferred  after  recording 
on  his  own  and  on  the  grade-graph  the  amount  of 
work  done. 


ITS  APPLICATION  56 

Within  twenty  minutes  the  pupils  had  grasped 
the  outline  of  the  organization  and  had  settled 
down  to  study.  As  each  became  absorbed  in  the 
subject  the  room  grew  almost  silent,  or  as  Miss  D 
afterwards  expressed  it,  ' '  one  felt  an  atmosphere 
growing  there  of  real,  contented  work."  At  in- 
tervals during  the  morning  one  pupil  after  another 
finished  a  piece  of  work  and  was  asked  by  Miss  D 
where  he  would  then  like  to  go.  This  question  was 
only  necessary  that  first  morning  in  order  to  en- 
sure that  the  pupil  had  really  decided  what  subject 
he  would  take  up  next,  and  also  to  give  him  ballast 
and  encouragement.  If  wavering,  he  was  asked 
to  remain  until  he  could  come  to  a  real  decision. 
As  pupils  came  into  the  laboratory  from  others, 
Miss  D  greeted  them  as  one  would  greet  a  guest, 
for  it  is  essential  to  remove  any  feeling  of  re- 
straint or  embarrassment.  Fortunately,  the  old 
nagging  and  driving  on  one  hand  and  sullen  re- 
sistance on  the  other  had  already  vanished. 

At  12  o  'clock  each  grade  reported,  as  arranged, 
to  its  assigned  laboratory,  where  the  mistress  gave 
them  an  oral  lesson  lasting  45  minutes  on  some  one 
subject,  and  handed  them  the  weekly  schedule  of 
these  lessons  in  which  a  different  subject  was  to 
be  treated  each  day.  These  lessons  were  now 
called  "conferences"  because  the  entire  class,  who 
had  been  working  in  separate  laboratories,  indi- 
vidually or  in  small  voluntary  groups,  now  met 
to  confer  over  the  problems  of  their  assignment. 
At  these  conferences  they  compared  progress, 


56  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

brought  up  and  discussed  their  special  difficulties, 
and  helped  to  solve  the  difficulties  of  their  fellow 
pupils.  The  greatest  keenness  was  shown  at  these 
conferences;  the  discussions  were  genuine  and 
really  helpful  to  all  concerned.  Each  conference 
was  social  because  the  school  itself  had  been  social- 
ized by  the  plan. 

The  Subject  Supervisors  who  paid  weekly  visits 
to  the  school  showed  an  intense  interest  in  the 
working  of  the  new  plan.  It  made  it  possible  for 
a  supervisor  visiting  the  school  at  any  time  during 
the  morning  to  see  in  her  subject  laboratory  the 
study  in  full  swing.  By  examining  the  assign- 
ments she  could  easily  check  subject  content.  In- 
stead of  spending  much  of  her  time  in  advising 
teachers  how  to  discipline  and  control  their 
classes,  the  Dalton  Plan  enabled  her  to  discuss  and 
correlate  the  work  in  company  with  other  su- 
pervisors and  the  teachers.  At  the  same  time  a 
single  librarian  could  spend  a  few  days  each 
month  in  a  single  school  and  go  from  laboratory 
to  laboratory  to  arrange  for  the  care  and  the 
exchange  of  books. 

Subsequent  mornings,  weeks,  and  months  only 
served  to  confirm  the  success  of  the  first  trial  of 
the  new  organization.  And  gradually  under  its  in- 
fluence learning  did  indeed  become  as  much  a 
pleasure  as  play. 


CHAPTER  V 

Assignments — How  to  Make  Them 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  Dalton  Labora- 
tory Plan  hinges  upon  the  assignment ;  for  on  the 
degree  of  skill  and  understanding  with  which  it  is 
compiled,  the  successful  application  of  the  new 
plan  will  largely  depend.  Its  importance  will  be 
appreciated  when  we  remember  that  the  pupil  can 
only  reach  a  complete  survey  of  the  work  expected 
of  him  through  the  medium  of  each  separate  as- 
sigment.  Collectively  considered,  they  represent 
an  outline  of  the  contract- job  in  all  its  parts. 

Though  the  adjustment  of  the  work  to  be  done 
to  the  capacity  of  the  pupils  has  always  consti- 
tuted the  chief  problem  of  a  teacher,  sufficient 
attention  has  not  hitherto  been  devoted  to  it  from 
the  point  of  view  of  the  individual  pupil.  All  too 
frequently  the  preparation  set  has  merely  re- 
quired the  study  of  a  certain  number  of  pages 
in  a  text-book  or  manual,  and  often  this  require- 
ment has  been  hurled  at  the  pupil  at  the  end  of 
a  class  period  after  his  attention  has  already 
been  claimed  from  another  class  by  the  pre-dis- 
missal  gong.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  child  fails  to  grasp  the  exact 

57 


58  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

meaning  of  the  hastily  fixed  assignment,  and  even 
its  relation  to  the  subject  in  hand. 

The  first  condition  of  a  good  assignment  is  that 
it  shall  be  invariably  written,  not  oral,  clearly  ex- 
pressed, and  designed  to  show  the  pupil  what  it 
is  leading  up  to.  In  drawing  it  up  the  teacher 
must  get  rid  of  the  idea  that  she  is  preparing  a 
plan  for  herself.  What  is  needed  is  a  plan  to 
be  used  by  the  pupils  as  a  guide  in  their  attack 
upon  the  parts  of  their  contract-job.  A  good  as- 
signment represents  a  block  of  the  whole  job  com- 
piled from  the  standpoint  of  the  pupil  himself. 

Few  children  at  any  age  know  instinctively  how 
to  work.  As  the  object  of  the  Dalton  Plan  is  pri- 
marily to  teach  them  this,  the  instructor  should 
be  careful  at  the  outset  not  to  demand  too  much. 
Versatility,  resourcefulness,  and  general  efficiency 
will  be  better  developed  if  the  whole  contract  is 
proportionate  to  the  mental  power  of  the  average 
child.  On  no  account  should  it  surpass  his  ca- 
pacity to  grasp  it  as  a  whole.  He  must  be  able  to 
take  it  in  before  he  can  measure  his  time  wisely 
and  set  himself  to  its  consistent  accomplishment. 
Only  the  job  which  he  feels  to  be  within  his  reach 
will  stimulate  the  growth  of  his  interest,  and  ulti- 
mately of  his  creative  powers. 

In  cases  where  experience  has  revealed  a 
marked  disparity  of  intelligence  between  the 
pupils  of  the  same  age  and  form,  it  is  sometimes 
well  to  modify  the  assignment  in  order  to  bring 
it  within  the  reach  of,  say,  three  different  cate- 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM     59 

gories.  The  minimum  assignment  will  merely  re- 
quire the  essentials  for  a  form  foundation,  and  its 
execution  should  not  put  too  great  a  strain  upon 
the  least  gifted  pupils  in  the  class.  The  medium 
assignment  would  be  given  to  the  next  group  of 
moderately  intelligent  children,  while  the  maxi- 
mum assignment  would  be  reserved  for  the  star 
pupils.  As  any  individual  gained  ground  or  de- 
veloped intellectually,  which  is  a  common  phe- 
nomenon after  the  Dalton  Plan  has  been  in  opera- 
tion for  some  time,  he  could  be  moved  from  the 
minimum  to  the  maximum  group.  But  it  should 
never  be  forgotten  that  uniformity  is  not  at  all 
synonymous  with  progress. 

At  the  start  one  month's  contract  will  give  the 
student  a  sufficient  perspective,  and  even  this 
should  be  divided  up  into  weekly  allotments,  so 
that  the  pupil  should  be  able  to  mark  his  own  prog- 
ress, step  by  step,  as  he  goes  on.  In  so  doing  he 
will  gain  the  satisfaction  of  so  much  accomplished 
with  encouragement  to  fresh  efforts.  But  to  this 
end  an  assignment  must  be  compiled  like  a  sylla- 
bus, indicating  not  only  the  ground  to  be  covered, 
but  containing  helpful  suggestions  and  lists  of 
definite  questions  to  be  answered. 

These  helpful  suggestions,  or,  as  I  prefer  to 
call  them,  "interest  pockets,' ■  should  be  a  vital 
feature  of  the  assignment.  Here  the  teacher's 
knowledge  of  the  psychology  of  each  pupil  comes 
into  play.  She  must,  in  framing  her  assignment, 
take  into  consideration  the   special  needs   and 


60  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

tastes  of  every  child  in  her  class.  This  is  neces- 
sary in  order  to  create  "interest  pockets."  In- 
stead of  wording  the  assignments  peremptorily 
as,  for  example,  "read  such  and  such  a  reference,' y 
the  pupil's  interest  will  be  aroused  if  it  is 
worded  "you  will  find  such  and  such  references 
helpful.' '  Such  phrasing  catches  the  child's  at- 
tention and  thus  these  "interest  pockets"  give 
life  to  the  assignment.  The  assignments  must  not 
tell  too  much  but  should  stimulate  research. 

So  constructed  an  assignment  can  almost  be 
made  to  serve  as  an  assistant  teacher.  It  is  well 
to  indicate  points  where  consultations  with  the 
instructor  is  advisable,  as,  for  instance,  to  a 
mathematic  assignment  the  words  "After  you 
have  finished  the  required  problems  come  to  me 
and  I  will  explain  the  next  rule  before  you  go  on" 
might  be  added.  A  pupil  will  appreciate  any  sug- 
gestion designed  to  facilitate  his  progress.  We 
must  not  do  the  work  for  him,  but  it  is  necessary 
to  provide  inspiration  for  his  efforts  and  occa- 
sional help  over  a  difficult  bit  of  the  road.  The 
ideal  to  be  attained  is  to  make  him  feel  the  interest 
taken  by  the  teacher  in  his  progress  without  ren- 
dering him  dependent  upon  her.  The  introduction 
of  such  "interest  pockets"  into  assignments  will 
go  a  long  ways  towards  the  achievement  of  this 
relationship. 

But  this  relationship  between  teacher  and  pupil 
should  not  be  limited  to  one  class  or  grade.  It 
is  just  as  necessary  that  sympathy  and  interaction 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM        61 

should  exist  between  the  teachers  as  between  the 
pupils  in  the  school.  Without  it  that  inter-relation 
of  subjects  in  the  making  up  of  the  assignment 
cannot  be  achieved.  In  all  schools  a  tendency  ex- 
ists on  the  part  of  each  teacher  to  think  his  spe- 
cial subject  of  supreme  importance  in  the  curric- 
ulum. In  her  desire  to  do  justice  to  it  she  is  apt 
to  encroach  upon  the  time  which  ought  to  be  de- 
voted to  other  subjects.  A  satisfactory  adjust- 
ment of  all  subjects  in  an  assignment  can  only  be 
made  if  all  the  teachers  are  ready  to  pool  their 
collective  knowledge  of  the  psychology  of  the 
pupil,  and  their  collective  observation  of  the  in- 
terests and  capacity  of  each  child.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  proposed  assignments  should  be  posted 
up  for  the  benefit  and  discussion  of  the  staff  at 
least  one  week  before  they  are  exhibited  on  the 
notice  boards  to  the  pupils.  In  this  way  the 
teachers  will  be  able  to  collaborate  intelligently  in 
adjusting  and  cutting  down  the  amount  of  work  set 
in  each  subject.  Assignments  thus  become  a  prob- 
lem to  be  snared  and  solved  by  the  entire  staff  to- 
gether. 

For  the  welfare  of  the  school  as  a  whole  it  is  es- 
sential that  the  complete  scheme  of  work  should 
be  regarded  as  a  synthesis.  An  examination  of  the 
assignment  content  will  reveal  how  the  work  in 
each  subject  should  be  correlated.  If,  for  ex- 
ample, a  particularly  interesting  theme  is  assigned 
as  a  problem  in  science  or  in  history,  the  English 
teacher  should  find  in  it  good  material  for  an  es- 


62  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

say,  a  debate,  or  for  an  oral  conference.  It  is 
the  province  of  the  principal  to  emphasize  that  the 
importance  given  to  the  special  subjects  of  each 
teacher  in  the  assignment  will  depend  upon  a  new 
presentation  of  that  subject  to  the  other  instruc- 
tors and  upon  the  degree  in  which  she  secures 
their  co-operation  in  its  development. 

This  side  of  the  assignment  question  is  so  vital 
that  I  will  elaborate  it  by  a  concrete  illustration. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  subject  of  art.  The  art 
department  belongs  to  the  whole  school,  not  only 
to  the  art  teacher,  who  simply  assumes  that  re- 
sponsibility for  the  whole  staff.  If  art  is  merely 
work  done  in  the  studio,  to  be  seen  at  the  time 
of  the  annual  exhibition,  it  is  a  dead  thing.  It 
can  only  be  made  a  living  influence  if  it  permeates 
and  serves  every  department.  In  order  to  do  this 
the  art  teacher  must  secure  the  interest  of  her 
colleagues  as  well  as  of  her  pupils  in  the  subject. 
To  appeal  to  the  latter  to  devote  a  large  propor- 
tion of  their  time  to  any  special  subject  on  the 
grounds  of  its  superior  value  is  merely  a  waste 
of  time.  Better  results  will  be  attained  if  each 
instructor  realizes  that  she  must  fit  the  subject 
into  the  general  scheme,  making  it  serve  the  needs 
of  the  whole,  and  getting  her  fellow  teachers  to 
ally  their  subjects  with  hers.  Nor  must  it  be  for- 
gotten that  it  is  the  teachers,  not  the  pupils,  who 
are  responsible  for  changes  made  in  the  curricu- 
lum, and  for  the  correlation  of  subjects  in  their 
assignments.    The  change  in  the  attitude  and  ap- 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM        63 

preciation  of  the  pupils  is  the  measure  of  their 
success. 

The  manner  in  which  we  have  tackled  the  ques- 
tion in  the  Children's  University  School  is  worth 
quoting  in  this  connection.  There  the  geography 
teacher  requires  as  a  geography  problem  special 
notebooks  which  are  made  in  the  art  laboratory. 
Note  books  are  not  the  ultimate  end  of  art,  but  the 
artistic  note  book  is  a  means  which  elicits  the  ap- 
preciation of  the  geography  teachers  and  extends 
the  province  of  art.  Supposing  that  the  director 
of  this  department  is  working  on  an  item  of 
household  decoration,  she  sends  her  pupils  to  the 
handwork  room  to  do  the  necessary  manual  part 
of  the  30b.  When  completed  this  manual  work  is 
brought  back  to  the  studio.  The  influence  of  such 
collaboration  is  valuable  in  unifying  the  aims  of 
all  the  departments  involved.  But  such  correla- 
tion is  only  possible  after  an  understanding  has 
been  reached  between  the  heads  of  all  depart- 
ments. When  the  art  instructor  knows  what  work 
is  assigned  in  geography  and  in  other  subjects, 
she  can  assign  her  problems  in  the  art  of  the  same 
period.  She  may  begin  through  the  medium  of  a 
notebook,  but  by  making  it  beautiful  the  period 
becomes  illuminated  in  the  minds  of  the  children, 
and  so  art  gradually  takes  its  place  as  a  factor 
in  their  lives.  Again,  if  the  planetary  system  is 
under  discussion  in  geography,  the  mathematics 
teacher  can  use  it  to  illuminate  problems  in  mathe- 
matics and  algebra,  while  the  art  instructor  calls 


64  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

attention  to  the  beautiful  celestial  maps  to  be  seen 
in  the  museums  of  the  city.  In  principle  there  is 
beauty  in  every  utilitarian  thing.  At  the  Chil- 
dren's University  School  the  art  and  the  music 
teachers  have  made  their  subjects  so  serve  the 
needs  of  the  others  that  art  and  music  have  pene- 
trated as  a  living  force  into  every  laboratory. 
Consequently,  art  and  music  are  recognized  as 
equal  in  importance  to  every  other  subject  studied, 
and  an  equal  proportion  of  time  is  given  to  them. 
We  have  found  that  beauty  vitalizes  every  study 
into  which  it  is  imported. 

Each  class  or  form  adviser  should,  therefore, 
be  furnished  with  copies  of  all  the  subject  assign- 
ments used  by  her  form,  so  that  she  may  envisage 
the  whole  work  concretely  in  advising  each  pupil 
on  the  best  method  of  attacking  his  own  allotment. 
"With  regard  to  those  allotments  it  may  not  be 
found  necessary  in  the  case  of  older  students,  in 
university  or  in  the  last  two  years  of  a  secondary 
school,  to  subdivide  the  monthly  into  weekly  as- 
signments. I  suggest,  however,  that  at  the  ini- 
tiation of  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  it  is  advis- 
able to  give  all  pupils,  regardless  of  age,  the  assist- 
ance of  weekly  divisions  of  work.  Pupils  who  are 
accustomed  to  have  all  their  work  presented  to 
ithem  in  the  form  of  pre-digested  oral  lessons  will 
find  it  very  difficult  at  first  to  think  in  terms  of  the 
whole  contract-job.  The  established  habit  of 
studying  from  day  to  day,  living  intellectually 
from  hand  to  mouth  cannot  easily  De  discarded. 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM        65 

To  concentrate  instead  on  the  organization  of 
their  work  and  the  planning  of  their  time  demands 
an  effort  and  perseverance  in  the  effort.  They 
will  gradually  learn  to  say  themselves:  "Where 
am  I  weak,  and  what  must  I  do  to  perfect  myself 
in  this  or  that  subject V  instead  of  "How  much 
of  this  task  must  I  do  in  order  to  escape  reproof  V 
The  change  implies  an  entire  change  of  attitude 
towards  the  work,  and  often  towards  the  teacher. 
Pupils  whose  object  is  to  do  as  little  work  as  pos- 
sible are  extraordinarily  quick  in  diagnosing  the 
psychology  of  the  different  teachers.  They  know 
instinctively  exactly  what  each  teacher  will  exact 
and  which  are  more  easily  satisfied.  But  thinking 
of  the  work  in  terms  of  Miss  A  or  Miss  B  is,  of 
course,  fatal  to  the  progress  of  the  pupil  in  any 
direction.  Morally  speaking,  it  constitutes  a 
grave  danger,  for  it  tempts  the  conscientious 
teacher  to  drive  the  pupil,  and  the  more  she  sets 
herself  to  feed  him  with  knowledge  the  less  will 
he  be  inclined  to  assimilate  it  through  his  own 
effort.  The  more  she  teaches  the  less,  in  fact,  will 
he  learn. 

In  composing  assignments,  different  subjects 
should  of  course  be  differently  treated.  Certain 
points  should,  however,  always  be  emphasized  ir- 
respective of  subject.  If  we  want  the  pupil  to  dig 
and  mine  for  himself  we  must  give  him  the  neces- 
sary tools  for  the  operation.  Teachers  must  guard 
against  organizing  their  part  of  the  ten  or  less 
different  assignments  in  ten  different  ways,  for 


66  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

the  pupil  cannot  be  expected  to  envisage  his  job  as 
a  whole  unless  all  the  parts  are  so  correlated  that 
it  appears  to  him  as  really  one  problem.  Lack  of 
collaboration  between  the  ten  different  teachers 
in  the  production  of  a  consistent  assignment 
scheme  will  be  as  deleterious  to  the  child's  mind 
and  energy  as  if  ten  contractors  were  to  work 
on  a  building  without  regard  for  the  architect's 
design.  Design  is  as  essential  to  the  construction 
of  an  assignment  as  it  is  to  the  construction  of  a 
house. 

The  following  outline,  which  suggests  types  of 
things  that  ought  to  be  included  in  an  assignment, 
may  prove  useful,  either  in  the  case  of  monthly 
assignments  with  weekly  subdivisions  for  young 
children,  or  without  weekly  subdivisions  when  the 
pupils  are  older  and  more  advanced. 


SUBJECT 

kg 

rade  or  Form) 

(No.  of  Contract  Assignment) 

Points  to  be  kept  in  mind 

Preface  to  the  Month's  work. 

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 

Topic 
Problems 
Written  Work 
Memory  Work 
Conferences  or 
References 

1st  Week 
Oral  Lessons 

ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM        67 

7.  Equivalents  (in  days  of  work) 

8.  Bulletin  Study 

9.  Departmental  Cuts. 

For  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  weeks  some  or 
all  of  these  points  may  be  included.  In  any  case 
all  should  be  kept  in  mind,  for  each  subdivision 
must  be  a  definite  unit  in  itself  as  well  as  a  part 
of  the  whole  month's  assignment.  A  settled  pro- 
cedure with,  as  far  as  possible,  uniformity  of  head- 
ings, etc.,  is  desirable.  The  number  of  the  con- 
tract assignments  is,  or  course,  determined  by  the 
number  of  months  in  the  school  year ;  for  example : 

Form  Subject  Contract  Assignment 

II  Geography  3 

These  points  will  bear  some  elaboration  for  the 
benefit  of  inexperienced  teachers. 

Preface.  This  should  be  a  simple  statement  con- 
sisting of  a  few  sentences  designed  to  intro- 
duce the  assignment  of  work.  Above  all,  the 
preface  should  be  an  " interest  pocket." 

Topic.  By  this  term  I  mean  phases  or  aspects  of 
a  general  subject.  Supposing  the  subject  to 
be  geography,  the  topic  might  be  " China," 
"Petroleum,"  or  "The  Peace  Conference." 
To  young  children  a  topic  should  always  be 
given.  It  will  furnish  a  central  idea  to  be 
developed. 


68  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Problems.  This  word  includes  a  variety  of  things. 
We  can  set  problems  in  the  form  of  maps  to 
be  drawn ;  measurements  to  be  approximated ; 
routes  to  be  traced ;  or  pictures  to  be  studied 
when  a  definite  object  is  to  be  accomplished  or 
a  particular  reaction  is  to  be  stimulated. 
Problems  may  also  include  examples  or 
theorems  to  be  worked  out;  translations; 
transpositions  or  themes  in  music ;  a  stencilled 
design  or  a  block-print  in  art ;  experiments  in 
science ;  or  a  set  drill  when  given  to  fix  a  point 
or  to  illustrate  a  rule. 

Written  Work.  Under  this  heading  all  the  written 
work  required  should  be  listed  with  dates 
when  it  is  to  be  handed  in.  This  applies  to 
work  written  either  in  notebooks  or  otherwise. 

Memory  Work.  This  heading  covers  poetry  to  be 
learnt  by  heart;  rules  or  tables;  verbs  or 
songs ;  theorems,  treaties,  preambles,  etc. 

Conferences.  Here  the  date  on  which  particular 
subjects  are  to  be  discussed  at  the  oral  lesson 
should  be  indicated  so  that  the  pupils  may 
prepare  for  such  discussions  on  their  own 
responsibility  and  have  their  exhibits,  etc., 
ready. 

References.  Under  this  heading  the  names  and, 
if  the  assignment  is  long,  the  pages  of  all  ref- 
erence books  or  magazine  articles  should  be 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM         69 

given  with   directions   showing  where   such 
books  are  to  be  found. 

Equivalents.  Here  it  is  essential  to  show  a  pupil 
how  to  record  his  progress  on  his  own  con- 
tract graph,  for  it  is  a  picture  of  his  accom- 
plishment and  a  compass  which  enables  him 
to  discover  and  satisfy  his  needs.  His  graph 
should  be  taken  from  laboratory  to  laboratory 
and  to  all  class  conferences.  It  is  his  ticket  of 
admission  and  should  be  accurately  marked, 
daily  as  he  goes  on.  It  is  the  psychological 
picture  of  his  job.  Except  on  rare  occasions 
he  does  not  do  all  the  month's  or  even  all  the 
week's  work  at  a  sitting.  Thus,  if  in  any  one 
week's  assignment  grammar,  translation,  and 
oral  work  are  required,  say,  in  a  foreign  lan- 
guage, a  time  equivalent  should  be  stated. 
Grammar,  for  instance,  might  count  as  two 
days'  or  units  of  work,  translation  as  two 
days'  work,  and  oral  reading  as  one  day's 
work.  In  a  monthly  assignment,  when  the 
subject  is  English,  his  review  of  the  book  in 
question  might  count  as — reading,  one  week's 
work,  and  the  written  part  as  three  weeks' 
work. 

Bulletin  Study.  This  point  should  be  marked 
whenever  the  laboratory  bulletin  board  dis- 
plays maps  or  pictures  which  are  to  be  studied 
in  connection  with  a  special  phase  of  any  sub- 


70  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

ject,  or  when  pupils  are  expected  to  add  to  the 
collection  displayed. 

Departmental  Cuts.  As  I  have  already  dealt  with 
this  matter  it  suffices  to  repeat  here  that  work 
requirements  are  departmentally  cut  when 
credit  is  given  for  work  done  in  any  subject 
as  if  it  were  done  in  another  correlated  sub- 
ject. If,  for  instance,  a  paper  in  science  is 
written  in  sufficiently  good  English  to  be 
accepted  as  work  done  in  English  composition, 
the  amount  of  the  contract- job  is  department- 
ally  cut  down  in  proportion.  Whenever  work 
is  credited  it  should  always  be  stated  as  such 
in  the  assignment. 

The  headings  of  Problems,  "Written  Work,  and 
Memory  Work  represent  points  which  are  very 
closely  related.  The  problem  may  sometimes 
actually  be  memory  work,  while  at  other  times  the 
memory  work  may  be  supplementary  to  the  real 
problem.  In  English  a  written  book  review  may 
be  the  problem  set,  whereas  in  science  the  problem 
set  may  be  an  experiment  of  which  the  written 
description  is  supplementary.  If  the  written  work 
is  required,  not  as  a  problem  but  to  record  a 
problem,  this  should  be  stated  under  the  heading 
of  " Written  Work." 

But  the  main  and  most  important  point  to  keep 
in  mind  in  composing  an  assignment  is  that  it  must 
clearly  demonstrate  to  the  pupil  what  his  job 
really  is.    He  must  be  told  distinctly  what  is  ex- 


ASSIGNMENTS— HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM        71 

pected  of  him,  and  the  difficulties  he  is  likely  to 
meet  in  the  execution  of  it  must  be  indicated.  I 
hope  the  training  schools  of  the  future  may  pre- 
pare expert  specialists  to  whom  all  this  will  be 
plain.  To  succeed  in  producing  really  valuable 
instructors  for  our  schools,  consideration  must  be 
given  to  the  cultural  background  and  the  cultural 
needs  of  the  teachers.  Sufficient  training  in  psy- 
chology to  enable  teachers  to  understand  the 
child's  nature,  its  mental  processes  and  their  de- 
velopment, should  also  be  a  vital  part  of  their 
equipment.  In  the  case  of  specialists,  facilities 
for  intensive  training  covering  the  entire  field  in 
one  subject  must  also  be  provided. 

To  the  teacher  who  appreciates  the  character 
and  the  needs  of  girls  and  boys,  and  who  makes  of 
the  human  material  in  her  charge  her  primary 
study,  the  reorganization  of  school  life  on  the  Dal- 
ton  Laboratory  Plan  will  present  no  difficulty. 
Nor  if  she  knows  her  subject  thoroughly  will  she 
be  inclined  to  limit  it  to  purely  local  aspects.  In 
the  United  States  to-day  history  is  taught  far  too 
generally  from  the  mere  national  point  of  view. 
Frequently  pupils  are  given  an  unconscious  im- 
pression that  "the  world  began"  in  the  American 
year  17761  This  may  be  considered  patriotic  by 
some,  but  the  narrowing  influence  of  such  teaching 
upon  the  pupil  is  evident.  Only  by  learning  his- 
tory as  world  history,  and  all  subjects  on  the  basis 
of  the  universe,  can  the  child  grow  into  a  complete 
man  or  woman  as  well  as  a  good  citizen. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Sample  Assignments 

On  the  principle  that  example  is  better  than  pre- 
cept I  am  devoting  this  chapter  to  a  collection  of 
sample  assignments.  In  order  to  illustrate  the 
application  of  the  points  to  be  kept  in  mind  in 
their  composition  I  begin  by  quoting  two  examples 
of  one  Science  Assignment  for  eighth  grade  pupils. 
The  first  is,  I  consider,  inadequate  because  it  fails 
to  give  sufficient  detail  or  direction  to  the  child  in 
the  execution  of  his  job.  In  the  second  example 
as  you  will  see  this  fault  is  corrected.  Its  preface 
contains  the  necessary  "interest  pocket, "  the  true 
equivalents  are  clearly  stated ;  the  whole  is  calcu- 
lated so  as  to  provide  a  perspective  of  the  entire 
contract  and  to  stimulate  interaction  and  discus- 
sion among  the  voluntary  class-groups  in  the 
laboratory. 

I  may  call  attention  here  to  the  fact  that  assign- 
ments are  not  split  up  into  definite  daily  require- 
ments. To  do  so  would  rob  the  pupil  of  interest 
and  of  the  necessary  freedom  in  organizing  his 
time  according  to  the  needs  of  his  work. 

72 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  73 


ASSIGNMENT  A 

(Inadequate  Version) 
Grade  VIII  SCIENCE  5th  Contract  Assignment 

1st  Week 
Motion  and  Force. 

First,  I  want  you  to  learn  Sir  Isaac  Newton's 
Three  Laws  of  Motion.  These  you  will  find  in 
Section  I,  Chapter  III,  in  Higgins.  Study  this  sec- 
tion very  carefully,  do  the  experiment  on  page  47, 
find  out  all  you  can  about  Sir  Isaac  Newton  in  an 
encyclopedia,  and  then  write  the  answers  to  the 
questions  on  page  49  in  your  notebooks.  (Three 
days'  work.) 

In  continuing  your  work  you  will  find  out  some 
of  the  effects  of  Newton's  Laws.  Read  what  is 
said  about  this  in  Higgins,  pp.  50-54,  as  far  as 
paragraph  64.  There  are  six  experiments  to  be 
done,  and  be  sure  that  you  know  what  is  meant  by 
inertia,  momentum,  centre  of  gravity,  base  and 
equilibrium.    (Two  days'  work.) 

2nd  Week 

This  week  we  shall  continue  to  study  the  effects 
of  Newton's  Laws.  Study  Higgins,  pp.  54-60. 
There  are  seven  experiments  to  do,  and  I  want 
you  to  write  the  results  of  these  in  your  notebooks. 
(Two  days'  work.) 

Write  the  answers  to  the  questions  on  pp.  59-60. 
(Two  days'  work.) 


74  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Woek  and  Machines. 

Study  very  carefully  pp.  60-66  in  Higgins. 
(One  day's  work.) 

3rd  Week 
Woek  and  Machines  (continued). 

Turn  to  p.  173  in  Caldwell  and  Eikenberry  and 
think  over  the  answers  to  the  questions,  and  then 
come  and  discuss  them  with  me.  (One  day's 
work.) 

On  p.  176  in  C.  and  E.  there  are  six  illustrations 
showing  different  types  of  levers.  Write  in  your 
notebook  which  class  of  levers  each  one  of  these 
articles  illustrates.    (One  day's  work.) 

In  Cummings,  Nature  Study,  on  11.  231-232-233 
there  are  some  experiments  with  pulleys  that  I 
want  you  to  do.  All  the  questions  are  to  be  writ- 
ten in  your  notebook.  (Experiments  equal  one 
day's  work  and  the  questions  count  as  two  days' 
work.) 

4th  Week 

Woek  and  Machines  (continued). 

With  a  series  of  four  pulleys  I  want  you  to 
arrange  the  most  efficient  combination  you  can  for 
raising  a  heavy  weight.    (One  day's  work.) 

Read  Chapter  XV  in  C.  and  E.  (Two  days' 
work.) 

Answer  the  questions  of  p.  66  in  Higgins  (to  be 
written:  one  day's  work). 

With  the  meccano  set  construct  a  model  of  a 
machine  such  as  a  Travelling  Jib  Crane — 24,  p.  10 
in  Manual  of  Instructions. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  75 


ASSIGNMENT  A 

(Amended  Version) 
Grade  VIII  SCIENCE  5th  Contract  Assignment 

1st  Week 

Motion  and  Fobce. 

1.  Will  an  automobile  start  without  an  explo- 
sion of  the  gasoline  ?  What  makes  a  screw  go  into 
wood?  Why  do  we  oil  our  bicycles?  Why  do  we 
use  pulleys?  Have  you  never  wondered  about 
these  things?  Daily  we  notice  things  that  happen 
all  about  us,  but  seldom  do  we  stop  to  consider 
how  they  happen! 

This  month  we  are  going  to  learn  something 
about  these  common  everyday  happenings  which 
are  explained  by  certain  fundamental  laws  in 
physics.  We  are  going  to  consider  some  of  the 
common  types  of  machines  and  discover  how  they 
are  able  to  accomplish  the  work  that  they  do.  In 
order  to  have  a  good  understanding  of  machines 
it  is  important  that  we  know  something  about 
motion  and  force.  Therefore,  in  starting  our  work 
for  the  month  we  shall  consider  motion  and  force 
first. 

Newton's   Theee   Laws   op   Motion   and   their 
Effects. 

You  will  find  it  helpful  to  learn  these  three  laws 
first  and  then  proceed  with  the  following  experi- 
ments.   (See  reference  No.  1.) 


76  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Experiment  1.    A  change  of  motion  follows  the 

DIBECTION  OF  THE  FORCE  WHICH  CAUSES  IT,  AND 
IS  PROPORTIONAL  TO  THE  AMOUNT  OF  FORCE  USED 
AND  THE  TIME  DURING  WHICH  IT  ACTS. 

Directions.  Suspend  a  small  ball  on  a  long 
string.  Snap  it  at  the  same  instant  with  one 
finger  of  each  hand  in  directions  that  are  at 
right  angles  to  each  other.  Observe  the  direction 
in  which  the  ball  moves. 

Before  undertaking  the  following  experiments 
which  have  to  do  with  the  effects  of  Newton's 
Laws  it  is  necessary  to  have  some  understanding 
of  these  effects.  (See  reference  2,  and  then  verify 
your  reading  with  the  following  experiments.) 

Experiment  2.    Inertia. 

Directions.  Balance  a  visiting  card  on  the  end 
of  your  finger  and  place  a  coin  upon  it  directly 
above  the  finger  tip.  With  the  other  hand  sud- 
denly snap  the  card  away  edgewise.  Why  doesn't 
the  coin  move  off  with  the  cardf 

Experiment  3.    Momentum. 

Directions.  Using  the  same  ball,  roll  it  twice 
over  the  same  surface,  once  slowly  and  once  with 
speed.    Note  the  distance  that  it  travels. 

Now  take  two  balls,  one  much  heavier  than  the 
other,  roll  them  over  the  surface,  starting  them 
at  the  same  speed.    Note  the  distances  travelled. 

Experiment  4.    Centre  of  Gravity. 

Directions.  Try  to  balance  a  ruler  on  your 
finger.    Where  is  the  centre  of  mass  of  the  ruler  t 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  77 

Compare  the  quantity  of  matter  on  both  sides  of 
this  point.  How  do  you  think  the  action  of  gravity 
upon  one  side  of  this  spot  compares  with  that  upon 
the  other!  Where  is  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the 
ruler?  Now  hang  unequal  weights  on  the  ruler 
and  find  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  whole. 

Find  the  centre  of  gravity  on  your  ruler  by 
balancing  and  mark  the  point.  Now  place  the 
ruler  on  a  table,  push  it  over  the  edge  little  by 
little,  and  note  the  position  of  its  centre  of  gravity; 
just  before  it  falls. 

Written  Work 
Questions.     (See  references  1  and  2.) 

1.  State  Newton's  three  laws  of  motion.  Tell 
all  that  you  know  about  Newton.  (See  refer- 
ence 3.) 

2.  Give  any  examples  of  bodies  that  seem  to 
set  themselves  in  motion,  and  tell  what  'outside 
force  moves  them.  Why  do  we  not  find  on  earth 
any  examples  of  constant  motion  without  force 
being  applied? 

3.  If  two  equal  forces  act  upon  a  body  in 
opposite  directions,  what  would  be  the  result?  If 
the  forces  were  unequal  what  would  be  the  result  ? 

4.  What  is  meant  by  reaction?  Could  there  be 
any  reaction  if  there  were  no  action?  Is  there 
ever  any  action  without  reaction? 

5.  Give  examples  of  reaction.  Explain  some 
of  its  uses.  Show  how  a  screw  propeller  moves  a 
boat. 

6.  If  you  strike  a  wall  with  your  fist  you  feel 


78  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

pain.     Why  does  it  not  give  equal  pain  if  you 
strike  a  pillow  with  your  fist? 

References 

1.  Higgins — First  Science  Book,  Chapter  III, 
Section  1. 

2.  Higgins — First  Science  Book,  pp.  50-54. 

3.  To  find  out  about  Sir  Isaac  Newton  see  the 
American  Educator  or  some  encyclopedia.  Some 
of  you  may  also  be  interested  in  consulting  our 
new  magazine  editions  of  The  Outlines  of  Science 
by  Prof.  J.  Arthur  Thomson.  These  have  just 
arrived  from  England. 

Equivalents 

Experiments  will  count  as  two  days'  work; 
written  work  will  count  as  one  day's  work;  ref- 
erences will  count  as  two  days'  work. 

2nd  Week 

Some  More  Effects  of  Newton's  Laws. 

Our  business  for  this  week  has  to  do  with  other 
effects  of  Newton's  Laws.  You  will  consider  these 
in  the  following  order:  Stability,  Centrifugal 
Force,  Law  of  Falling  Bodies,  and  the  Pendulum. 
Before  doing  the  experiments  which  will  make 
these  things  clear  to  you  it  will  be  helpful  to  con- 
sult the  reference. 

Experiment  1.    Stability. 

Directions.  Stand  your  pencil  on  its  end ;  then 
lay  it  on  its  side.  In  which  position  has  it  the 
broader  base  ?    In  which  is  it  the  more  stable  T 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  79 

Pile  up  three  books  and  test  the  stability  of  the 
pile.  Then  add  as  many  more  books  as  you  can, 
and  test  that.  Which  pile  is  the  more  stable? 
Why? 

Try  to  balance  your  ruler,  first  on  its  side  and 
then  on  its  end.    Which  is  easier,  and  why? 

Experiment  2.    Centrifugal  Force. 

Directions.  Tie  a  string  to  a  small  wooden  ball 
and  swing  it  rapidly  about  the  hand  in  a  circle.  Do 
you  have  to  use  force  to  hold  it?  Why?  Suddenly 
let  the  ball  go  free  and  note  its  motion.  What 
direction  does  it  tend  to  take  ?  Try  the  same  thing 
with  a  very  short  string  and  a  very  long  one,  and 
explain  the  difference.  Note  that  the  two  forces 
exactly  balance  each  other ;  for  while  one  acts  to- 
ward and  the  other  away  from  the  centre,  the  ball 
moves  no  nearer  and  no  farther  from  the  centre 
than  the  length  of  the  string  allows.  As  soon  as 
you  let  go  both  forces  cease  to  act  and  the  ball 
obeys  the  first  law  of  motion. 

Experiment  3.  Falling  Bodies. 

Directions.  Drop  two  balls  of  exactly  the  same 
size,  one  of  wood  and  the  other  of  lead,  exactly 
together  from  the  same  height,  and  note  carefully 
whether  they  strike  together  or  not.  Eepeat  this 
several  times  to  be  sure  that  the  results  that  you 
obtain  are  accurate. 

Compare  these  with  the  fall  of  a  sheet  of  paper. 

Experiment  4.    The  Pendulum. 

Directions.  Make  two  pendulums  of  the  same 
length,  using  a  wooden  ball  and  a  lead  ball.    Start 


80  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

them  swinging  exactly  together  and  compare  the 
rates  of  their  vibrations,  that  is,  the  number  of 
swings  made  by  each  in  a  certain  period  of  time. 
What  effect  has  the  weight  of  the  ball  upon  the 
vibration  rate  of  the  pendulum? 

Swing  a  pendulum  through  a  small  arc  and 
count  its  vibrations  for  15  seconds.  Now  swing  the 
same  pendulum  through  a  much  greater  arc  and 
count  its  vibrations  for  15  seconds.  What  effect 
has  the  length  of  the  arc  upon  the  rate  of  vibra- 
tion? (The  length  of  the  arc  makes  a  slight  dif- 
ference in  rate  if  one  arc  is  much  greater  than 
the  other,  and  none  at  all  if  both  arcs  are  small.) 

Make  a  pendulum  4  inches  long,  and  another  16 
inches  long,  and  compare  their  rates  of  vibration. 
How  much  longer  is  the  second  than  the  first? 
Which  vibrates  the  faster?  What  thing  do  you 
find  to  make  a  marked  difference  in  the  vibration 
rate  of  the  pendulum  ? 

Written  Work 
Questions. 

1.  What  is  inertia  ?  State  examples.  Why  can 
you  not  start  a  bicycle  at  once  at  your  greatest 
speed? 

2.  What  is  momentum?  Upon  what  two  fac- 
tors does  it  depend?  How  is  it  generally 
measured? 

3.  A  rifle  ball  weighing  half  an  ounce  moves  at 
the  rate  of  one  thousand  feet  a  second,  while  a 
forty-pound  cannon  ball  moves  at  a  rate  of  one 
foot  per  second.  Which  has  the  greater  momen- 
tum? 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  81 

4.  Why  does  a  woodcutter  sometimes  fasten 
his  axe  in  a  stick  and  then  invert  it,  striking  the 
block  with  the  stick  uppermost! 

5.  Why  can  you  not  stand  an  egg  on  its  end? 
If  there  were  a  hole  straight  through  the  earth's 
centre  from  surface  to  surface,  how  far  into  it 
would  a  falling  body  go? 

6.  Under  what  conditions  will  a  body  be  sup- 
ported from  falling? 

7.  Upon  what  does  the  stability  of  a  body 
depend,  and  how?  Why  is  it  hard  to  walk  upon 
stilts? 

8.  Explain  the  cause  of  centrifugal  force. 
State  examples  of  it.  Why  do  you  lean  in  turn- 
ing a  corner?  Why  is  the  inside  rail  of  a  track 
placed  lower? 

9.  How  far  will  a  body  fall  in  one  second?  In 
two  seconds?  Why  does  a  body  constantly 
increase  its  speed  as  it  falls  ?  Why  is  more  dam- 
age done  by  a  longer  fall  as  a  rule? 

10.  Describe  a  pendulum.  What  force  causes 
it  to  swing  downward?  Why  does  it  then  swing 
upward?  If  no  force  but  gravity  opposed  its  up- 
ward swing,  how  far  would  it  go  as  compared  with 
its  downward  swing? 

References 
Millikan  and  Gale — Practical  Physics,  pp.  81-87. 

Equivalents 

The  reference  will  count  as  one  day's  work. 
The  experiments  will  count  as  two  days'  work. 
The  written  work  will  count  as  two  days '  work. 


82  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

3rd  Week 

Wokk  and  Machines. 

What  is  work?  What  is  gained  by  using  levers, 
pulleys,  wedges,  inclined  planes,  etc.!  These 
things  are  all  simple  machines,  and  our  task  for 
this  week  is  to  discover  the  answers  to  these  ques- 
tions. Before  going  on  with  the  experiments  you 
will  find  it  helpful  to  consult  the  first  reference. 

Expekiment  1.    Pulleys. 

Fasten  a  pulley  to  some  convenient  support,  and 
pass  over  it  a  cord  having  a  given  weight  fastened 
to  one  end  of  it,  and  a  spring  balance  to  the  other. 
Compare  the  weight  with  the  force  measured  by 
the  spring  balance  in  raising  it. 

Experiment  2.    Pulleys. 

Attach  a  weight  to  a  movable  pulley  and  note 
the  amount  of  power  required  to  sustain  it. 

Experiment  3.    Pulleys. 

Arrange  one  fixed  and  two  movable  pulleys 
supporting  a  weight,  and  note  the  amount  of 
power  required  to  sustain  it.  What  advantage  is 
gained  by  the  use  of  the  fixed  pulley?  What  part 
of  the  weight  does  each  section  of  the  string 
support? 

Written  Work 
Questions. 

1.  In  the  case  of  one  movable  pulley  what  part 
of  the  weight  is  supported  by  the  spring  balance? 
By  the  hook? 

2.  In  the  case  of  one  movable  pulley  in  what 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  83 

direction  does  the  power  act,  and  how  could  this 
direction  be  changed  by  using  a  fixed  pulley? 

3.  When  one  movable  pulley  is  used  through, 
how  much  space  must  the  power  pass  in  raising 
the  weight  one  foot?  When  one  fixed  pulley  is 
used? 

4.  When  you  have  one  fixed  and  two  movable 
pulleys  what  portion  of  the  weight  is  supported 
by  the  fixed  pulley?    By  the  balance? 

5.  In  the  case  of  4,  how  far  must  the  power 
move  to  raise  the  weight  one  foot?  What  is 
gained  by  using  two  movable  pulleys?  What  is 
lost?    How  do  the  loss  and  gain  compare? 

6.  If  another  fixed  pulley  were  added  in  the 
case  of  4,  what  would  be  the  effect?  If  another 
movable  pulley  were  added,  what  would  be  the 
effect? 

7.  Upon  what  does  the  power  gained  in  using 
a  block  and  tackle  depend?  State  a  rule  for  com- 
puting it. 

References 

Higgins — First  Science  Book,  pp.  60-66. 

Equivalents 

The  references  will  count  as  one  day's  work 
each  (two  days) ;  the  experiments  will  count  as 
one  day's  work;  the  written  work  will  count  as  two 
days '  work. 

4th  Week 

Work  and  Machines — continued. 

Problem.    I   think   that   now   you   will   find    it 
interesting  to  see  the  application  of  some  of  the 


84  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

machines  and  principles  in  a  machine  of  your  own. 
Accordingly,  I  want  you  to  construct  a  model  of 
a  Travelling  Jib  Crane,  with  the  Meccano  set.  In 
operating  it  you  will  notice  how  the  lever  and 
pulleys  are  combined  to  good  advantage. 

Written  Work 
Questions. 

1.  What  is  work,  how  is  it  measured,  and  what 
is  the  unit  of  work? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  power  ?  What  is  the  unit 
of  the  rate  of  doing  work?  How  much  is  one  foot 
pound? 

3.  What  is  a  machine  ?  Can  a  machine  do  work 
of  itself? 

4.  What  in  general  is  the  use  of  machines  to 
man? 

5.  State  the  law  of  machines  and  show  how  a 
lever  applies  this  law. 

6.  Why  do  tailor 's  shears  have  long  blades  and 
short  handles,  while  plumber's  shears  have  short 
blades  and  long  handles? 

7.  Why  does  a  bicycle  of  high  gear  run  harder 
than  one  of  low  gear? 

8.  State  the  advantage  given  by  a  lever  of  the 
second  class ;  of  the  third  class. 

9.  Name  some  familiar  uses  of  the  screw. 

10.  Explain  the  use  of  gear  wheels  in 
machinery. 

Conference 

You  will  report  to  me  for  a  conference  after  you 
have  read  the  following  reference  on  * '  Some  Com- 
mon Types  of  Work." 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  85 

References 

Caldwell  and  Eikenberry — General  Science, 
Chapter  XV. 

Equivalents 

The  problem  will  count  as  two  days'  work;  the 
written  work  will  count  as  one  day's  work;  the 
conference  will  count  as  one  day's  work;  the  ref- 
erence will  count  as  one  day's  work. 

HISTORY  ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment  No.  1 

(For  Fourth  Grade  Pupils  of  8  to  9  years.) 

Grade  IV     HISTORY   5th  Contract  Assignment 

After  Paul  Revere  had  warned  the  "Minute 
Men"  that  the  British  were  coming,  and  after  the 
British  had  been  beaten  back  from  Concord  there 
was  no  fighting  for  some  months.  The  British 
were  perfectly  satisfied  to  stay  in  Boston  and  not 
meddle  with  the  "Minute  Men."  On  June  17th, 
1775,  the  British  saw  that  the  "Minute  Men"  had 
put  up  a  fort  on  Bunker  Hill  in  Charlestown.  If 
the  British  did  not  drive  the  Americans  off  the 
hill,  the  Americans  might  drive  the  British  out  of 
Boston.  The  British  attacked  Bunker  Hill,  and 
after  being  driven  back  twice  with  great  loss  of 
life,  they  finally  succeeded  in  driving  the  Ameri- 
cans away,  because  the  Americans  had  used  up 
all  their  ammunition.  In  the  summer  General 
George  Washington  came  to  take  command  of  the 
American  army  near  Boston,  and  in  the  spring  of 


86  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

the  next  year,  by  mounting  some  cannon  on  Dor- 
chester Heights,  near  Boston,  he  made  the  British 
get  into  their  ships  and  sail  away.  Washington 
then  went  to  New  York,  and  the  British  came  there 
also  soon  after.  This  time  the  British  were  suc- 
cessful, and  Washington  was  driven  out  of  New 
York  and  across  New  Jersey,  with  the  British  in 
hot  pursuit.  When  Washington  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware Eiver  into  Pennsylvania,  the  British  gave 
up  the  chase,  thinking  they  had  frightened  him 
away  for  good  and  all. 

1st  Week 

This  week  we  are  going  to  read  how  Washington 
surprised  the  British  when  they  least  expected  it. 
There  will  be  two  problems  to  work  on. 

Problems 

Problem  1.  Suppose  you  are  one  of  Washing- 
ton 's  soldiers  at  the  time  the  British  were  chasing 
him  across  New  Jersey  and  into  Pennsylvania. 
Write  the  story  of  how  you  crossed  the  Delaware 
Eiver  with  Washington  on  Christmas  night,  and 
how  you  took  Trenton. 

Problem  2.  Again  supposing  you  are  one  of 
Washington's  men.  This  time  you  are  with  the 
American  army  at  Valley  Forge  during  the  winter 
of  1776-77,  when  the  British  were  snugly  housed 
in  Philadelphia,  and  when  Washington,  with  his 
poor  little  army,  was  shivering  at  Valley  Forge. 
Write  a  letter  home  to  your  children  telling  them 
of  your  life  in  camp. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  87 

References 

The  reference  for  these  problems  is  American 
Hero  Stories.  Use  the  index  to  find  the  stories 
you  want.  One  is  called  "A  Christmas  Surprise' ' 
and  the  other  "Winter  at  Valley  Forge." 

Equivalents 

Each  of  these  problems  counts  as  two-and-a-half 
days '  work.  Bring  your  compositions  to  me  when 
you  have  finished  them. 

Departmental  Cut 

This  written  work,  when  accepted  by  me,  may 
be  credited  as  a  week's  work  in  English  Composi- 
tion. 

2nd  Week 

In  the  summer  of  1776  a  very  important  thing 
happened  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  before  the 
British  captured  the  city,  and  it  was  not  a  battle. 
The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed  on 
July  4th.  That  is  what  we  shall  study  about  this 
week.  I  presume  you  know  something  about  it 
already.  Perhaps  you  can  find  out  some  more 
about  it. 

Problems 

Here  are  some  questions  on  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  Write  the  answers  to  them,  using 
complete  sentences  in  each  answer. 

1.  Who  were  in  the  Continental  Congress? 

2.  Where  did  it  meet,  and  when? 


88  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

3.  What  two  important  deeds  did  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  do? 

4.  Who  introduced  the  resolution  for  Inde- 
pendence ? 

5.  What  five  men  were  on  the  committee  ? 

6.  Who  wrote  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence? 

7.  How  was  the  news  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  told  to  the  people? 

8.  What  was  the  exact  date  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence? 

Memory  Work 

Learn  by  heart  the  last  paragraph  of  the  Decla- 
ration, beginning:  "We,  therefore,  the  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  of  America " 

References 

The  reference  for  this  work  is  Makers  of  the 
Nation. 

Bulletin  Study  and  Conference 

Will  you  all  examine  the  copy  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  that  is  on  the  Bulletin  Board? 
At  the  Conference  on  Friday,  February  17th,  we 
shall  talk  about  the  Declaration,  and  I  shall  ask 
you  what  you  have  noticed  about  this  copy  of  the 
Declaration. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  counts  as  one  day's  work;  the  ques- 
tions as  two  days '  work ;  and  the  memory  work  as 
two  days'  work. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  S9 

3rd  Week 

This  week  we  shall  read  and  study  about  one 
of  the  martyrs  of  the  Revolution.  I  wonder  if  you 
all  know  what  a  martyr  is.  If  you  do  not  know, 
see  if  you  can  find  out.  This  martyr's  name  was 
Nathan  Hale. 

Problem 

Your  problem  this  week  will  be  to  read  about 
Nathan  Hale,  and  then  to  come  to  me  and  let  me 
test  you  on  your  reading.  I  am  giving  you  some 
questions  here  to  guide  you  as  you  study  about 
him. 

1.  Where  was  Nathan  Hale  born? 

2.  Where  did  he  go  to  College? 

3.  Tell  about  his  offering  to  go  on  the  dan- 
gerous mission  for  Washington. 

4.  What  was  his  disguise? 

5.  Tell  about  his  adventures  and  about  his 
capture. 

6.  What  was  done  to  him? 

7.  What  were  his  last  words? 

Equivalents 

The  reading  will  count  as  two  days'  work,  and 
the  reporting  on  the  reading  as  three  days'  work. 

4th  Week 

There  are  a  great  many  heroes  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  that  we  might  read  about.  We 
have  not  time  to  read  about  all  of  them,  but  I  am 
hoping  that  you  may  be  interested  to  find  out  more 
about  some  of  them.    Here  are  some  of  the  inter- 


90  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

esting  ones:  Ethan  Allen,  Benedict  Arnold, 
Colonel  Prescott,  General  Gates,  General  Her- 
kimer, Israel  Putnam,  Mad  Anthony  "Wayne, 
Daniel  Morgan,  The  Swamp  Will  o'  the  Wisp, 
Nathaniel  Greene,  Lafayette,  Baron  Von  Steuben, 
Robert  Morris,  George  Rogers  Clark. 

This  week  we  shall  learn  about  one  more  great 
Revolutionary  hero,  John  Paul  Jones,  the  ' '  Father 
of  the  American  Navy. ' ' 

Problem 

The  problem  is  to  read  about  John  Paul  Jones 
and  then  to  come  to  me  and  give  me  an  oral  re- 
port on  your  reading.  I  shall  expect  you  to  come 
and  tell  me  what  you  have  to  say  without  any 
questioning  or  help  on  my  part.  Plan  your  report 
out  before  you  come  to  me. 

I  shall  ask  some  of  the  children  who  give  good 
reports  to  repeat  them  at  the  conference  on  Feb- 
ruary 24th. 

References 

The  references  for  this  work  are  American 
Hero  Stories  or  Makers  of  the  Nation. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  counts  as  two  days'  work,  and  the 
report  as  three  days'  work. 

Assignment  No.  2 

(For  Fifth  Grade  Pupils  9  to  10  years.) 

Grade  V      HISTORY    5th  Contract  Assignment 

The  Persian  Wars  had  ended,  and  the  Greeks 
were  no  longer  afraid  of  attacks  by  the  Persians. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  91 

The  Athenians  went  home  to  find  their  homes  in 
ruins,  for  you  will  remember  that  the  Persians 
had  burned  Athens  just  before  the  battle  of 
Salamis.  The  Spartans  went  home  planning  to 
make  their  city  the  greatest  in  Greece.  In  fact, 
each  city  had  great  plans  of  this  same  kind.  Al- 
though they  had  all  united  for  the  time  being  to 
drive  out  the  Persians,  each  city  was  jealous  of 
its  neighbours,  and  we  shall  see  what  hard  times 
the  Greeks  had  in  the  next  three  hundred  years. 

1st  Week 

This  week  we  shall  study  one  of  the  great 
Athenian  heroes,  Pericles.  He  is,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  of  all  the  great  Athenian  leaders. 

Problem 

After  you  have  done  the  reading  listed  below, 
write  out  the  answers  to  the  following  questions, 
using  complete  sentences  in  every  answer : 

1.  Tell  the  story  of  the  Athenians  rebuilding 
their  walls. 

2.  What  was  Piraeus? 

3.  Describe  the  Long  Walls. 

4.  What  are  the  names  of  the  three  kinds  of 
columns  used  in  Greek  temples? 

5.  What  were  the  names  of  two  buildings  on 
the  Acropolis? 

6.  Tell  what  each  building  was  used  for. 

7.  Describe  the  Theatre  of  Dionysius. 

8.  Who  were  the  three  great  Greek  tragic 
writers  ? 

9.  What  is  a  tragedy?    What  is  a  comedy? 


92  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

10.  Who  was  a  comedy  writer  in  Athens! 

11.  Who  were  two  historians? 

12.  What  changes  did  Pericles  make  in  the  laws 
of  Athens! 

References 

Bead  in  Old  World  Hero  Stories  the  story  called 
"  Pericles.' ' 

Equivalents 

The  reading  counts  as  two  days'  work,  and  the 
writing  as  three  days '  work. 

2nd  Week 

We  shall  learn  more  about  the  Age  of  Pericles 
this  week. 

Problems 

There  will  be  three  problems  this  week. 

1.  Draw  a  plan  of  the  front  of  the  Parthenon, 
naming  the  different  parts. 

2.  Write  a  description  of  a  Greek  house.  Tell 
how  the  house  was  arranged,  and  compare  it  with 
a  modern  house. 

3.  Tell,  in  a  story,  what  the  children  in  Athens 
did.  Tell  how  they  were  taught,  how  they  played, 
etc. 

References 

The  reference  for  1  is  Tarbell's  History  of 
Greek  Art.  The  reference  for  2  and  3  is  Old 
World  Hero  Stories. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  95 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  for  three  days '  work  and  2 
and  3  each  one  day. 

Bulletin  Study 

Examine  the  pictures  of  the  Parthenon  and  of 
Greek  houses  that  are  on  the  Bulletin  Board. 
These  may  help  you  in  your  work. 

Departmental  Cut 

Miss  Baily  is  willing  to  credit  you  with  three 
days'  work  in  Art  for  the  drawing  of  the  Par- 
thenon. 

3rd  Week 

After  the  time  of  Pericles  the  Athenians  had 
a  hard  time.  They  had  a  war  with  the  Spartans, 
and  the  Spartans  won.  The  Athenians  were  never 
again  as  happy  and  as  prosperous  as  they  were 
when  Pericles  was  their  leader.  Almost  three 
hundred  years  later  there  arose  a  great  kingdom 
to  the  north  of  Greece,  called  Macedonia.  The 
king  of  this  realm  was  named  Philip,  and  he  had 
a  son  named  Alexander.  This  is  the  man  we  are 
going  to  study  this  week. 

Problems 

Problem:  1.  Here  are  some  questions  to  answer 
about  Alexander.  Write  the  answers  in  complete 
sentences. 

1.  What  tidings  did  the  three  messengers  bring 
to  King  Philip  of  Macedonia? 


94  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2.  Tell  the  story  of  the  taming  of  Bucephalus. 

3.  Who  was  Alexander's  teacher,  and  where 
did  he  come  from? 

4.  After  Philip's  death  what  did  Alexander 
decide  to  do? 

5.  How  big  an  army  did  he  have  f 

6.  What  were  three  of  his  battles  I 

7.  Tell  the  story  of  the  Gordian  Knot. 

8.  How  many  cities  were  named  after  Alex- 
ander ? 

Problem  2.  The  second  problem  is  to  draw  a  map 
of  Alexander's  kingdom.  Use  coloured  crayons 
to  show  the  territory  that  he  conquered. 

References 

Read  about  Alexander  in  Old  World  Hero 
Stories,  and  find  the  map  of  his  empire  in  West's 
Ancient  World. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  is  one  day's  work;  the  writing  is 
two  days'  work;  and  the  drawing  is  two  days' 
work. 

4th  Week 

This  week  we  are  going  to  start  on  the  study  of 
Rome.    The  first  topic  is  the  Founding  of  the  City. 

Problems 

There  will  be  two  parts  to  the  work  this  week. 
Problem  1.     First  we  shall  all  read  the  story  of 
Romulus,  and  be  prepared  to  make  an  oral  report 
on  it. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  95 

Problem  2.  I  shall  assign  different  stories  to 
certain  members  of  our  group,  and  those  certain 
members  will  be  responsible  for  telling  that  story 
at  the  conference  on  December  19th.  These  small 
groups  may  work  together  and  plan  about  the  tell- 
ing of  their  stories  in  any  way  they  wish.  Here 
are  the  stories : 

The  Story  of  Aeneas 

Margery,  Edward,  Harry,  Jane,  Mary. 

The  Stealing  of  the  Sabine  women 

Doris,  Louise,  Donald,  John. 

The  Women  stop  the  Fight 

Eichard,  Helen  B.,  Joseph. 

The  Treachery  of  Tarpeia 

Edith,  Alice,  Eleanor,  Arthur,  Horace. 

References 

The  references  for  these  stories  are:  Old  World 
Hero  Stories,  The  Story  of  the  Romans,  The 
Story  of  the  Roman  People. 

Equivalents 

Problems  1  and  2  count  as  half  a  week's  work 
each. 

Bulletin  Study 

You  will  all  be  interested  in  looking  at  the  pic- 
tures on  the  Bulletin  Board  illustrating  the  Story 
of  Aeneas  and  the  Founding  of  Eome. 


96  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Assignment  No.  3 

(For  Sixth  Grade  Pupils  10  to  11  years.) 

Grade  VI  5th  Contract  Assignment 

ENGLISH  HISTORY 

Edward  III,  the  King  of  England  who  started 
the  Hundred  Years'  War  with  France,  had  six 
sons.  We  have  already  read  about  the  Black 
Prince ;  he  died  before  he  could  become  king,  and 
not  one  of  Edward's  other  sons  became  kings 
either.  Some  of  their  descendants,  however,  did 
ascend  the  throne,  the  first  one  being  Richard  II, 
about  whom  we  have  read.  Then  came  Henry  IV, 
the  son  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster.  Henry  V  was 
another  Lancastrian,  and  his  son  Henry  VI,  was 
also  a  Lancastrian.  Henry  VI  was  a  very  young 
boy,  and  many  people  thought  that  the  crown 
should  go  to  another  descendant  of  Edward  III, 
the  Duke  of  York.  This  led  to  disputes,  and  the 
disputes  to  more  violent  forms  of  argument,  until 
there  was  started  in  England  a  war  known  as  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses.  This  was  called  so  because 
the  Lancastrians  took  for  their  emblem  a  red  rose 
and  the  Yorkists,  as  the  followers  of  the  Duke  of 
York  were  called,  took  a  white  rose  for  their 
emblem. 

1st  Week 

We  shall  study  about  the  Wars  of  the  Roses  this 
yeek. 

Problem 

The  problem  is  to  read  as  much  as  you  can 
about  these  wars,  and  then  come  to  me  for  an  oral 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  97 

test  on  what  you  have  read.  I  suggest  that  as  you 
read  you  write  down  on  paper  the  things  that  you 
think  are  important,  and  that  you  want  to  re- 
member. 

References 

The  references  are  in  Piers  Plowman,  Bk.  VI, 
The  Story  of  the  English,  or  England's  Story. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  will  count  as  3  days '  work ;  the  oral 
test  as  2  days. 

2nd  Week 

We  shall  study  some  particular  incidents  in  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses  this  week. 

Problem 

The  problem  will  be  to  write  a  composition  on 
one  of  the  following  topics : — 

1.  Queen  Margaret  and  the  Robber. 

2.  The  Princes  in  the  Tower. 

3.  The  First  English  Printer. 

References 

The  references  are  the  same  as  last  week. 
Note:  In  writing  this  composition,  remember  to 
put  in  all  marks  of  punctuation,  all  capitals,  etc. 

Departmental  Cut 

If  this  composition  passes  it  may  count  as  a 
week's  work  in  your  English  composition. 


98  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

3rd  Week 
Problem 

You  are  a  reporter  on  an  English  newspaper. 
(We  will  pretend  that  they  had  newspapers  in  the 
time  of  Richard  III.)  You  have  been  assigned  to 
write  up  the  Battle  of  Bosworth  Field.  Tell  how 
the  battle  came  to  be  fought,  tell  about  the  battle 
itself,  and  tell  what  came  of  it.  Get  your  material 
from  any  of  the  English  History  Books.  Here  is 
a  head-line  for  your  story. 

"Crowned  on  the  Battlefield.' ' 

4th  Week 

The  family  of  English  kings  that  began  with 
Henry  VII  was  called  the  Tudor  family.  There 
were  five  of  them,  Henry  VII,  Henry  VIII, 
Edward  VI,  Mary  and  Elizabeth.  I  wish  we  had 
time  to  read  about  them  all  and  about  some  of  the 
great  men  who  lived  in  their  time.  We  shall  have 
to  pass  over  them,  or  most  of  them,  and  come  to 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  perhaps  the  greatest  of  the 
Tudors. 

Problem 

We  shall  have  two  problems  this  week,  and  each 
one  will  be  the  subject  of  an  oral  report.  I  will 
give  you  the  problems,  and  I  am  going  to  let  you 
find  your  material  for  yourselves.  You  are 
familiar  enough  by  this  time  with  the  various 
books  we  have  and  can  easily  find  your  own  read- 
ing. 
Pkoblem  1.    The  Spanish  Armada;  what  it  was; 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  99 

why  it  came  to  England;  how  the  English  made 
ready  to  meet  it ;  the  storm ;  the  battle ;  the  end  of 
the  Armada. 

Problem  2.  The  Elizabethan  Age ;  what  is  meant 
by  that  name ;  what  the  names  of  the  great  figures 
of  that  age  are  ;  what  they  did. 

Equivalents 

Each  problem  and  its  oral  report  will  count  as 
one-half  a  week's  work. 


Assignment  No.  4 

(For  Seventh  Grade  Pupils  11  to  12  years) 

Grade  VII  5th  Contract  Assignment 

AMERICAN  HISTORY 

One  Month's  Assignment 

After  the  delegates  at  the  Philadelphia  Con- 
vention had  made  the  Constitution,  and  the  nine 
states  had  agreed  to  it,  thus  making  it  a  law,  the 
country  was  ready  to  start  governing  itself.  As 
soon  as  possible  the  people  met  to  elect  a  Presi- 
dent, and  they  all  united  in  choosing  George 
Washington  for  the  first  one.  We  have  had 
twenty-eight  since  Washington.  From  now  on  we 
are  going  to  study  our  history  in  a  little  different 
way,  that  is,  studying  what  went  on  during  the 
administration  of  each  president.  We  shall  keep 
a  note-book,  which  I  will  give  you,  and  record  the 
things  we  find  out  about  the  different  presidents. 
WTe  shall  have  at  least  a  page  for  each  president, 


100  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  for  some  we  shall  have  to  have  more  than  one 
page,  when  there  were  a  great  many  important 
happenings. 

Problem 

Our  problem  this  month  will  be  the  preparing 
in  our  note-books  of  the  material  about  eleven  of 
the  presidents,  beginning  with  Washington  and 
ending  with  James  K.  Polk. 

In  your  note-books  put  the  name  of  the  president 
on  the  top  line  of  the  page.  After  his  name  in 
parentheses  put  the  name  of  the  political  party 
that  he  belonged  to  and  the  dates  of  his  adminis- 
tration. On  the  line  below  put  the  name  of  the 
vice-president,  or  vice-presidents  if  he  had  two. 
Then  skip  a  line  and  begin  to  put  down  the  im- 
portant facts  to  remember  about  that  president's 
administration.  Number  the  facts,  and  begin  each 
on  a  new  line.  It  would  be  a  good  plan  to  put  the 
facts  down  on  paper  first,  and  show  them  to  me, 
and  then  copy  them  into  your  book.  Be  sure  to 
consult  me  if  you  have  any  doubt  about  the  work. 
Here  is  a  sample  arrangement  of  a  page : 

George  Washington  (Federalist)  1789-1797. 
John  Adams,  Vice-President. 

1.  Inaugurated  in  New  York,  April  30, 1789. 

2.    

3.    

References 

To  get  the  material  for  your  note-book  read 
Montgomery's  Elementary  History,  or  Mont- 
gomery's Leading  Facts.  Use  the  World  Almanac 
for  information  about  the  vice-presidents. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  101 

Equivalents 

You  can  figure  out  how  much  to  mark  on  your 
card  as  you  work.  There  are  eleven  presidents, 
and  there  are  twenty  working  days.  Therefore 
some  presidents  would  count  as  two  days*  work, 
but  some  as  only  one. 

Assignment  No.  5 

(For  Eighth  Grade  Pupils  12  to  13  years.) 

AMERICAN  HISTORY 

Grade  VIII       CIVICS  5th  Contract  Assignment 

Last  month  you  studied  about  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States :  you  learned  about  the  legis- 
lative, executive,  and  judicial  departments,  and 
what  their  different  powers  and  duties  were.  This 
month  we  shall  review  this  by  comparing  these 
same  departments  with  those  in  another  country; 
we  shall  learn  about  some  of  the  great  figures  in 
public  life  of  to-day ;  and  we  shall  go  and  find  out 
some  more  necessary  and  useful  knowledge  about 
our  Constitution. 

1st  Week 

We  are  all  interested  in  England,  because  the 
people  there  speak  the  same  language  that  we  do, 
and  because  our  forefathers  came  from  that 
country.  This  week  we  are  going  to  see  how  the 
parts  of  the  Government  of  England  are  different 
from  the  parts  of  our  own,  and  how  they  are  alike. 


102  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Problem 

The  problem  will  be  to  learn  these  likenesses 
and  differences  so  that  you  can  explain  them  to 
anyone  in  a  clear  way.  I  shall  test  you  on  what 
you  have  learned,  either  orally  or  by  written  test. 

References 

In  a  pamphlet  called  Pupils '  Outlines  for  Home 
Study,  Civics,  Part  I,  pages  10-14,  you  will  find 
the  necessary  facts  about  the  Governments  of  the 
United  States  and  England  given  in  parallel 
columns. 

Equivalents 

You  will  probably  wish  to  do  the  whole  week's 
work  at  one  time,  but  if  you  do  not  do  it  all  at  once, 
consult  me  as  to  the  value  of  portions  of  the  work 
outline. 

2nd  Week 

In  connection  with  the  studying  we  did  last 
week,  we  are  going  to  learn  some  current  events 
this  week;  we  are  going  to  find  out  who  some  of 
the  men  are  who  are  holding  the  various  positions 
in  the  Governments  we  have  been  studying.  You 
may  know  some  of  them  without  looking  them  up. 

1.  President  of  the  United  States. 

2.  King  of  England. 

3.  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

4.  Prince  of  Wales. 

5.  Members  of  the  Cabinet  of  the  United 
States. 

6.  Members  of  the  English  Cabinet. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  103 

7.  United  States  Ambassador  to  England. 

8.  English  Ambassador  to  the  United  States.. 

9.  United  States  Ambassador  to  Prance. 

10.  United  States  Ambassador  to  Italy. 

11.  United  States  Ambassador  to  Belgium. 

12.  Judges  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 

13.  The  Senators  from  New  York  State. 

14.  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

15.  Governor  of  the  Philippines. 

16.  United  States  Delegates  to  the  Disarmament 
Conference. 

References 

You  can  find  this  information  in  The  World 
Almanac,  1922. 

Bulletin  Study 

There  are  pictures  of  some  of  the  men  in  this 
assignment  on  the  Bulletin  board.  See  if  you  can 
add  to  the  collection  from  pictures  in  the  current 
magazines  or  the  picture  supplements  of  the 
Sunday  papers. 

3rd  Week 

Before  we  leave  the  study  of  the  government  of 
the  United  States  there  are  a  few  things  we  ought 
to  know  as  intelligent  citizens.  We  shall  learn 
some  of  those  things  this  week. 

Problems 

Problem    1.    How    a    Law    is    passed    through 

Congress. 

Problem  2.    How  the  Constitution  is  amended. 

What  is  an  amendment? 


104  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Problem  3.    The  amendments:  what  they  con- 
tain ;  learn  Nos.  I-XVIII. 

When  you  have  finished  the  study  of  these 
problems,  come  to  me  and  make  me  an  oral  report 
on  what  you  have  found. 

References 

By  this  time  you  are  sufficiently  familiar  with 
the  various  books  on  government  that  we  have,  to 
have  some  general  idea  as  to  where  to  find  things, 
so  I  am  going  to  leave  you  to  use  your  own  in- 
genuity in  digging  out  information  that  you  want. 

Equivalents 

The  first  two  problems  count  as  2  days'  work; 
the  last  as  3  days'. 

4th  Week 

This  week  we  have  three  more  problems  in  the 
same  line  as  last  week's.  The  first  two  are  to  be 
written  out,  and  the  last  one  I  will  test  you  on 
when  you  have  finished. 

Problems 

Problem  1.    What  does  the  Constitution  prohibit 
the  States  from  doing? 

Problem  2.    What  rights  do  the  States  have! 
Problem  3.    Learn     the     following     definitions. 
(Any  person  who  wants  to  talk  intelligently  about 
affairs  of  government  should  know  what  these 
terms  mean.) 

1.    Congress — A  body  of  men  who  make  the 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  105 

laws  for  the  United  States,  this  body  consists  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate. 

2.  Legislative  Department — Department  that 
has  to  do  with  the  making  of  laws. 

3.  Executive  Department — Department  that 
sees  that  the  laws  are  carried  out. 

4.  Judicial  Department — Department  that  ex- 
plains the  laws  and  sentences  law-breakers. 

5.  Original  jurisdiction — A  court  is  said  to 
have  original  jurisdiction  if  a  case  is  begun  in  that 
court. 

6.  Appellate  jurisdiction — A  court  is  said  to 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  if  a  case  is  brought  to 
it  from  a  lower  court. 

7.  Admiralty — Jurisdiction  of  cases  arising 
from  maritime  affairs  and  crimes  committed  on 
the  high  seas. 

8.  Ambassador — an  official  representing  his 
country  in  a  foreign  country. 

9.  Consul — An  official  representing  his  coun- 
try in  a  foreign  country  mainly  for  the  protection 
of  commerce. 

10.  Impeachment — accusing  a  public  officer  of 
crime  or  misbehaviour  while  in  office. 

11.  Habeas  Corpus — A  warrant  compelling  the 
investigation  as  to  the  legality  of  the  imprison- 
ment of  an  individual. 

12.  Ex  Post  Facto  Law — Makes  an  act  criminal 
which  was  not  so  when  committed. 

References 

The  material  for  the  first  two  problems  may  be 
found  in  the  Constitution  itself  or  in  one  of  the 
books  on  government. 


106  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Equivalents 

The  first  problem  counts  as  2  days'  work;  the 
second  as  1  day's  and  the  third  as  2  days'. 

GEOGRAPHY  ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment  No.  1 

(For  Eighth  Grade  Pupils  of  12  to  13  years.) 

Grade  VIII  4th  Contract  Assignment 

GEOGRAPHY 

Topic:   China. 

You  already  know  about  some  of  China 's  prob- 
lems through  your  study  of  the  Conference  for  the 
Limitation  of  Armaments.  I  think  you  will  be 
interested  in  learning  more  about  this  extraordi- 
nary nation  of  400,000,000  people,  whose  natural 
abilities  seem  not  less  than  ours,  although  their 
manners  and  customs  are  so  very  different. 

The  civilization  of  China  is  probably  2,000  years 
older  than  that  of  Europe — that  is  to  say,  about 
4,000  years  old.    Some  say  it  is  much  older. 

1st  Week 

Problems 

Problem  1.  The  three  great  Chinese  religions 
are  all  much  older  than  that  of  Christ.  The 
founder  of  Buddhism  was  a  native  of  India.  Con- 
fucius and  Lao-Tsin  were  Chinamen  who  gave 
their  names  to  great  religions.  You  will  read 
about  them  all  in  Van  Loon's  story  of  Mankind, 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  107 

pp.  240-250.    Write  about  half  a  page  on  each  re- 
ligion. 

Problem  2.  Study  carefully  both  the  map  on  p. 
243  and  the  illustration  on  p.  249. 
Problem  3.  You  will  find  on  the  shelves  a  set  of 
pictures  of  Chinese  life  which  will  repay  careful 
study.  Each  picture  is  explained  by  a  little  para- 
graph which  should  always  be  read  in  connection 
with  it.  There  are  many  pictures  of  Chinese  life 
in  the  back  numbers  of  Asia  and  the  Geographic. 
I  will  put  some  of  these  magazines  aside  for  you. 
Problem  4.  Write  a  page  about  your  first  im- 
pressions as  a  traveller  in  China.  Write  as  you 
feel,  about  the  things  that  interest  you. 

Mr.  Klauber  has  spent  some  time  in  China.  He 
will  speak  in  assembly  on  Thursday,  and  will  bring 
some  interesting  pictures,  coins,  and  paper  money 
as  a  loan  exhibit  for  the  museum. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  as  one-and-a-half  days' 
work;  problem  2  as  half  a  day's;  problem  3  as  one 
day's;  problem  4  as  one  day's. 

Departmental  Cut 

Consult  the  head  of  the  English  Department  to 
see  how  much  these  papers  will  count  for  English. 
After  they  are  corrected  and  satisfactory,  re-copy 
them  in  your  notebook  on  religions. 

2nd  Week 

There  is  a  good  map  of  China  and  the  Far  East 
on  p.  17  of  your  exercise  book.    You  will  find  it 


108  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

much  simpler  and  clearer  than  the  map  of  the 
Pacific. 

Problems 

Problem  1.  Name  water  bodies,  land  bodies,  pen- 
insulas, countries,  provinces,  rivers,  and  canals  as 
directed  in  Exs.  XIX  and  XX. 
Problem  2.  Read  pp.  200-235  in  Asia,  a  geog- 
raphy reader.  In  your  notes  lay  special  stress 
on  the  causes  of  China's  age-long  isolation,  the 
density  of  the  population,  and  the  poverty  of  the 
working-class. 

In  case  several  people  should  want  to  do  this 
work  at  the  same  time,  I  can  assign  reading  in 
other  books. 

Note:  Two  Chinese  students  will  be  with  us  in 
your  Geography  Conference  on  Thursday.  They 
will  give  suggestions  for  costuming  the  Chinese 
play  Mulan,  and  answer  any  questions  you  may 
ask. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  as  two  days'  work;  prob- 
lem 2  as  three  days'  work. 

3rd  Week 

Problems 

Problem  1.  Read  about  the  Chinese  Republic  in 
Robinson's  Commercial  or  Dodge's  Advanced 
Geography.  Take  notes  and  answer  these  ques- 
tions : 

1.  Why  is  the  population  of  China  crowded 
into  certain  provinces?    Give  details. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  109 

2.  Why  do  the  Chinese  object  to  labour-saving 
machinery? 

3.  Can  you  explain  why  they  have  progressed 
so  little  in  2,000  years! 

Pboblem  2.  Find  out  how  silk  is  produced  and 
write  about  it.  Refer  to  American  Educator,  or 
advertising  material  on  shelves.  Find  out  what 
other  countries  produce  large  quantities  of  silk, 
and  what  country  consumes  the  most.  Examine 
the  specimens  in  the  museum  and  go  to  the  studio 
and  ask  Miss  Baily  to  show  how  silk  is  woven. 
Your  art  assignment  has  to  do  with  textiles  and 
dyeing  this  month.  This  is  particularly  interest- 
ing. 

Note  :  Some  of  you  will  remember  attending  the 
Silk  Show  at  the  Grand  Central  Palace  last  spring. 
Mr.  Eaton  of  the  Nonotuck  Silk  Company  is  send- 
ing us  some  silk-worms  so  that  you  can  observe 
them  at  work. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  of  problem  1  will  count  as  two 
days'  work;  answering  the  questions  in  problem 
1  will  count  as  one  day's  work;  problem  2  will 
count  as  two  days'  work. 

4th  Week 

Problems 

I  am  giving  you  a  choice  of  subjects  for  research 
work.  Select  either  "The  Chinese  Boy"  or  "The 
Chinese  Girl."  As  you  proceed  with  your  read- 
ing you  will  understand  how  to  connect  the  sub- 
headings, which  I  am  about  to  suggest,  with  the 
subject  you  have  selected. 


110  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

The  Chinese  Boy. 

Ancestor  Worship 

Education 

Chinese  Writing 

Examinations 

The  Mandarin 

The  Chinese  Girl. 

She  is  not  wanted — why? 

Foot-binding 

Clothes 

Polygamy 

The  Mother-in-Law 

Refer  to  any  books  on  China.  Look  in  the  index 
for  what  you  want. 

There  are  some  interesting  pictures  of  Chinese 
life  and  noted  Chinese  men  in  the  History  Labora- 
tory. The  Thursday  conference  will  be  in  the 
nature  of  a  debate.  The  boys  may  take  the  side 
of  the  Chinese  boy,  and  the  girls  the  side  of  the 
Chinese  girl.  Question:  China  is  the  best  place  in 
the  world  in  which  to  be  educated. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  of  your  topic  will  count  as  two 
days '  work ;  the  writing  as  three  days '  work. 

Assignment  No.  2 

(For  Seventh  Grade  Pupils  of  11  to  12  years.) 

ftrade  VII  4th  Contract  Assignment 

GEOGRAPHY 
PTopio:  South  America. 

You  are  commissioned  by  the  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce of  the  United  States  Government  to  visit 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  111 

South  America  and  report  on  the  commercial  re- 
sources and  possibilities  of  that  continent. 

1st  Week 

Before  starting  on  your  journey  you  will  prob- 
ably wish  to  familiarize  yourself  somewhat  with 
the  maps  of  South  America. 

Problems 

Problem    1.    Make    a   political   map   of   South 
America  showing  the  equator,  the  zones,  the  prin- 
cipal rivers  and  mountain  ranges. 
Problem   2.    Compare   the   positions   of   North 
America  and  South  America  with  regard  to  the 
equator,  the  poles,  longitudes,  other  continents. 
Problem    3.     Compare  the  coast  lines  of  the  two 
continents.    Which  is  poor  in  harbours  ? 
Problem  4.     Consult   the   steamship  folders   on 
South  America  and  decide  on  a  route  which  will 
enable  you  to  visit  all  the  important  countries  of 
South  America,  including  Bolivia.    In  Brazil  you 
may  find  it  necessary  to  visit  two  or  three  cities 
in  order  to  bring  back  an  all-inclusive  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  Commerce. 
Note  :    Instead  of  a  conference  this  week  we  are 
all  going  to  Central  Park  to  witness  the  unveiling 
of  the  Statue  ''Bolivar"  by  two  of  our  children 
Patricia  and  Maraquita  MacManus  whose  great 
grandfather  was  the  first  President  of  Bolivia.    It 
is  interesting  to  us  all  to  know  that  this  statue  is 
the  work  of  Peggy's  modelling  teacher. 
Problem  5.    For  a  brief  account  of  the  history  of 


112  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

South  America  read  pp.   203-205  in  Tarr  and 
MeMurry.   Book  II. 
Eeport  orally  on  Problems  2,  3,  4  and  5. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  as  two  days'  work;  Prob- 
lems 2  and  3  as  a  day's  work;  Problem  4  as  one 
day's  work;  Problem  5  as  one  day's  work. 

2nd  Week 
You  are  now  ready  to  start  on  your  journey. 

Problems 

Pboblem  1.  I  suggest  that  you  make  only  short 
visits  to  Venezuela  and  the  Guianas,  noting  only 
the  chief  products  and  the  climatic  peculiarities. 
Pboblem  2.  The  United  States  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  actual  and  potential  resources  of 
Brazil.  Ascertain  at  the  several  ports  what  pro- 
ducts are  being  exported,  in  what  quantities. 
Pboblem  3.  Learn  as  much  about  the  valley  of 
the  Amazon  as  possible.  Inform  yourself  on  the 
subject  of  rubber. 

References 

You  will  find  information  that  will  enable  you 
to  interpret  your  experiences  in  some  of  the  fol- 
lowing books : — 

Geography  of  Commerce  and  Industry — Robin- 
son. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  113 

American  Educator. 

Man  and  His  Work — Herbertson. 

Advanced  Geography. 

Tarr  and  McMurry.    Book  II. 

Story  of  Rubber — John  Martin. 

Written  Work 
Take  notes  for  your  own  use  on  each  problem. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  (with  notes)  will  count  as  one  day's 
work ;  Problem  2  as  two  days '  work ;  Problem  3  as 
two  days'  work. 

3rd  Week 

Continue  your  journey  and  conclude  it. 

Problems 

Problem  1.  Make  only  brief  visits  to  Uruguay 
and  Paraguay. 

Problem  2.  Visit  Argentine,  making  detailed  in- 
quiries as  you  did  in  Brazil. 

Problem  3.  Visit  Peru  and  Chile,  making  de- 
tailed inquiries  as  before  and  investigating  the 
influence  of  the  Andes  Mountains  upon  the  climate 
of  these  countries. 

Problem  4.  Make  a  short  visit  to  Colombia  to 
ascertain  whether  there  are  any  prospective  oil 
fields  there. 

References 
See  last  week's  assignment. 


114  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Written  Work 
Take  notes  as  you  did  last  week. 

Equivalents 

Problems  1  and  4  will  count  as  one-half  a  day's 
work  each;  Problems  2  and  3  as  two  days'  work 
each. 

4th  Week 

The  Secretary  expects  to  receive  your  report  by 
the  10th.  It  should  be  based  on  your  notes  and 
should  comprise  not  less  than  ten  closely  written 
pages. 

Equivalents 

Two  or  more  pages  will  count  as  one  day's  work. 
The  report  will  not  be  considered  complete,  how- 
ever, unless  all  your  notes  have  been  embodied 
in  it. 

Assignment  No.  3 

(For  High  School  Pupils  of  13  to  14  years.) 

High  School    GEOGRAPHY 

1st  Year  4th  Contract  Assignment 

We  have  worked  for  some  time  on  problems  sug- 
gested by  the  Conference  on  Disarmament  with 
special  reference  to  China  and  Japan.  We  are 
now  about  to  take  up  some  of  the  same  problems 
and  many  new  ones,  from  the  viewpoint  of  Im- 
perial Britain. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  113 

1st  Week 

Problems 
Problem  1.  Read  in  the  New  World,  by  Isaiah 
Bowman — a  recent  and  authoritative  book  on 
political  geography — Chapter  II  on  "Problems 
of  Imperial  Britain,  pp.  12-16,  the  introductory 
paragraphs  in  which  the  extent  of  the  British  Em- 
pire and  the  gains  resulting  from  the  Great  War 
are  discussed.  The  entire  Chapter  runs  from  p. 
12— p.  79. 

It  will  be  worth  your  while  to  take  rather  full 
notes. 

Problem  2.  On  p.  31  of  Practical  Map  Exercises, 
Eastern  Hemisphere,  you  will  find  a  map  of  the 
world.  Trace  this  map.  List  the  parts  of  the 
British  Empire  as  classified  on  p.  29  of  The  New 
World.  Locate  these  parts  on  the  map,  using  neat 
printed  abbreviations  or  corresponding  numbers 
rather  than  whole  words. 

You  will  find  a  map  of  the  world  with  the  British 
Empire  shown  in  red  in  Lyde's  Economic  Atlas. 
In  Rand  &  McNally's  Atlas  of  Reconstruction  you 
will  find  what  additions  have  been  made  to  the 
Empire  since  1914. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  as  three  days'  work;  Prob- 
lem 2  as  two  days '  work. 

2nd  Week 

Problems 
Problem  1.    In  the  New  World  read  carefully 
(taking  notes  as  usual)  pp.  16-27  on  The  Trade 


116  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Organization  of  the  Empire  and  the  paragraphs 
on  p.  28  which  deal  with  the  policies  of  Great 
Britain  towards  the  parts  of  her  Empire. 
Peoblem  2.     Supplement  your  notes  with  a  one- 
page  discussion  of  one  of  the  following  subjects : — 

The  relation  of  coal  to  industry. 

The  points  of  resemblance  between  England 
and  Japan. 

Free  trade  and  protection  as  national  policies. 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  will  count  as  three  days '  work ;  Prob- 
lem 2  as  two  days '  work. 

3rd  Week 

The  five  self-governing  dominions — Canada, 
Australia,  South  Africa,  New  Zealand  and  New- 
foundland— constitute  a  bulwark  rather  than  a 
menace  to  the  British  Empire.  Yet  they  are  not 
entirely  satisfied  with  their  large  measure  of 
freedom,  as  you  will  read  on  pp.  29-30  of  The  New 
World,  by  Bowman. 

The  most  acute  problems  confronting  Great 
Britain  arise  (according  to  Bowman,  who  evi- 
dently considers  South  Africa  from  two  distinct 
standpoints)  from  these  portions  of  the  empire 
wherein  an  intense  nationalism  threatens  revolu- 
tion:— Ireland,  South  Africa,  India,  and  Egypt. 
Since  the  writing  of  this  book  an  agreement  has 
been  reached  between  English  and  Irish  delegates 
which  apparently  solves  the  problem  of  Ireland. 
The  circumstances  and  terms  in  the  New  World, 
taking  detailed  notes.    (This  account  of  the  Irish 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  117 

question  seems  lacking  in  several  particulars.) 
Find  out  about : — 

1.  The  great  Irish  leaders  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century. 

2.  The  Sinn  Fein  Party. 

Equivalents 

The  reading  and  notes  will  count  as  three  days' 
work;  the  questions  discussed  with  me  will  count 
as  two  days'  work. 

4th  Week 

Bring  to  school  any  books  or  magazines  you  can 
find  that  contain  accounts  of  the  Irish  controversy, 
or  of  the  agreement  recently  arrived  at.  I  will 
bring  anything  I  can  find. 

Decide  what  aspect  of  the  question  interests 
you  most,  and  assign  yourself  a  definite  amount  of 
reading. 

Write  a  paper  of  say,  3  pages,  from  the  Ulster, 
British,  or  Sinn  Fein  point  of  view.  Stress 
radical,  religious,  political  or  economic  differ- 
ences, as  seems  best  to  you.  You  will  be  given 
credit  for  this  paper  in  the  English  department. 
The  best  one  will  be  read  in  assembly  on  Wed- 
nesday. 

Note:  Mr.  Seumas  MacManus,  the  Irish  writer, 
will  be  at  the  school  on  Tuesday.  He  will  attend 
your  conference  the  third  week.  On  Tuesday  of 
the  fourth  week  Mr.  Humphrey  (who  is  well 
known  in  political  circles  and  who  officiated  at  the 
opening  of  Sulgrave  Manor)  will  take  up  any 
side  of  the  Irish  controversy  on  which  you  may  de- 


118  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

sire  to  question  him.  It  may  be  interesting  for 
you  to  talk  with  Tom,  the  Scotch  carpenter,  who 
has  some  decided  views. 


MATHEMATICS  ASSIGNMENT 

Assignment  No.  1. 

(For  Eighth  Grade  Pupils  of  12  to  13  years.) 

Grade  VIII  5th  Contract  Assignment 

MATHEMATICS 

It  often  happens  that  a  business  undertaking 
may  be  too  large  for  one  or  two  individuals  to 
supply  all  the  money  which  may  be  needed,  and 
so  a  number  of  persons  unite  and  form  what  is 
called  a  stock  company  or  corporation.  For  in- 
stance, you  would  like  $50.00  or  more  for  your 
"Puppet  Theatre."  We  shall  suppose  that  all 
who  are  in  Grades  VII  and  VIII  were  to  form  a 
stock  company  and  agree  to  take  a  certain  number 
of  shares. 

We  shall  call  the  stock  company  the  "Puppet 
Theatre  Corporation/'  Edgar  will  be  the  com- 
pany's agent,  so  he  will  sell  the  shares.  He  will 
be  furnished  with  some  blank  certificates,  so  you 
may  come  to  him  for  shares. 

The  company's  capital  will  amount  to  $50.00 
and  each  share  will  be  valued  at  $1.00.  If  Alice 
buys  10  shares  she  will  have  to  pay  $10.00.  It  will 
be  Edgar's  business  to  sell  his  shares  in  such  a 
way  that  all  members  of  Grades  VII  and  VIII 
may  be  shareholders. 

A  company's  profits  are  called  its  dividends  and 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  119 

are  divided  at  regular  periods  among  the  share- 
holders according  to  the  number  of  shares  each 
possesses. 

Stock  is  not  money,  but  it  can  be  bought  and  sold 
for  money,  and  a  shareholder  can  get  money  for 
his  stock  only  by  selling  it  to  some  person  who  is 
willing  to  buy.  The  par  value  is  the  real  value 
of  each  share.  Stocks  are  at  a  discount,  or  at  a 
premium,  according  as  the  shares  sell  for  below  or 
above  their  par  value. 

1st  Week 

Stocks.  We  shall  now  have  some  problems  on 
the  buying  and  selling  of  these  stocks. 

Bulletin  Study 

On  the  bulletin  board  in  the  mathematics  room 
you  will  find  a  list  containing  the  names  of  the 
pupils  who  have  bought  shares.  This  list  will  also 
indicate  the  number  of  shares  they  have  bought. 

Problems 

1.  Find  out  how  much  annual  dividend 
Gretchen  would  receive  from  her  shares  at  4^% 
per  year. 

2.  Find  the  annual  dividends  of  all  the  share- 
holders if  the  rate  is  5%  per  year. 

3.  How  much  2y2%  stock  must  Eugene  hold  in 
order  to  obtain  an  annual  income  of  $1.00? 

4.  How  many  shares  at  56^%  could  he  buy  for 
$30.00! 

5.  Elizabeth  Sandler  sells  6  of  her  "Puppet 


120  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Theatre"  shares  at  35%  and  invests  the  proceeds 
in  bank  stock  at  $.45.  How  many  shares  of  bank 
stock  does  she  buy? 

6.  Work  questions  8,  9,  10  on  page  245  and 
questions  2,  3,  4,  5  on  page  244  of  the  Ontario 
Public  School  Arithmetic. 

Written  Work 

As  usual,  you  will  work  these  problems  in  your 
note-books. 

Conference 

During  our  conference,  which  fortunately  comes 
early  in  the  week,  Edgar  will  sell  his  stock.  We 
shall  make  out  a  list  of  the  shares  sold,  ready  to 
post  on  the  bulletin  board. 

Equivalents 

Problems  1  and  2  count  for  one  day's  work; 
Problems  3,  4  and  5  count  for  one  day's  work: 
Problem  6  counts  as  three  days '  work. 

2nd  Week 

Interest. 

Interest  is  the  money  paid  for  the  use  of 
money. 

The  Principal  is  the  sum  of  money  on  which  the 
interest  is  charged. 

The  Amount  is  the  sum  due  at  maturity.  It 
contains  both  principal  and  interest. 

The  rate  is  the  number  of  per  cent  of  the  princi- 
pal in  the  yearly  interest. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  121 

References 

Read  carefully  paragraph  390  on  page  184  of 
*  *  The  New  Practical  Arithmetic. ' ' 

Problems 

Work  the  problems  given  under  391. 

You  will  notice  that  it  asks  for  the  interest  on 
these  different  sums  at  6%  for  60  days,  30  days,  90 
days,  6  days,  12  days,  18  days,  3  days,  2  days,  24 
days.    Do  them  in  the  simplest  way  possible. 

Equivalents 
Any  four  problems  count  a  day 's  work. 

Written  Work  or  Oral  Report 

You  should  be  able  to  do  a  great  number  of  these 
mentally.  The  rest  may  be  worked  in  your  note- 
books. 

Conference 

I  shall  spend  the  time  of  this  week's  conference 
in  explaining  the  first  principles  of  interest  to 
those  of  you  who  have  not  had  any  problems  in 
Interest. 

3rd  Week 

Review.  We  shall  devote  our  time  this  week  to  a 
general  review. 

Problems 

1.  A  lot  is  8.5  rods  long  and  6.4  rods  wide. 
What  decimal  part  of  an  acre  is  it  ? 


122  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2.  Change  3/25  to  a  decimal  and  divide  the 
result  by  .25;  by  2.5;  by  25. 

3.  What  part  of  a  cubic  foot  is  a  block  12 
inches  by  6  inches  by  2  inches. 

4.  How  much  will  it  cost  to  insure  a  house  for 
$7,200.00,  at  3/8%  ;  at  3/10%  :  at  1/4%  ? 

5.  A  dealer  sold  65%  of  his  stock  of  lumber  and 
then  had  7,000  ft.  left :  How  much  lumber  had  he 
before  the  sale? 

6.  A  house  worth  $4,500.00  is  insured  for  2/3 
of  its  value  at  3/5%  what  is  the  premium? 

7.  What  is  the  interest  on  $1.00  for  1  year  at 
6% I    For  3  years?    For  2%  years ? 

8.  What  is  the  interest  on  $1.00  for  30  days  at 
6%  ?  for  6  days?    For  18  days?    For  24  days? 

9.  A  man  who  owned  3/4  of  a  mine  sold  1/3  of 
his  share  for  $2,650.00;  at  this  rate  what  is  the 
value  of  the  mine  ? 

10.  A  circle  is  14  ft.  in  diameter.  Find  the  area 
and  the  circumference. 

11.  What  is  the  ratio  of  3y2  ft.  to  10y2  ft?  6 
in.  to  18  in.?    12y2  lbs.  to  50  lbs.? 

12.  What  decimal  equals  1/4 ;  3/4 ;  1/3 ;  2/3 ;  1/6 ; 
5/6;  1/8;  3/8;  3/5;  4/5? 

13.  A  girl  is  15  years  old  and  her  age  is  3/10 
of  the  age  of  her  father.    How  old  is  her  father? 

14.  How  many  times  will  a  hoop  7  ft.  in  diam- 
eter turn  around  in  rolling  132  feet?    83  feet! 

15.  A  boy  gave  2/5  of  his  money  for  a  slate  and 
1/10  of  it  for  a  ruler.    What  part  had  he  left  ? 

Equivalents 
Any  three  questions  count  as  one  day's  work. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  123 

Written  Work 

Keep  a  record  of  these  in  your  note-books. 
Mark  any  which  you  found  difficulty  in  solving. 

4th  Week 

Curved  Suefaces. 

You  will  remember  that  we  worked  some  easy 
problems  in  circles,  curved  surfaces,  etc.,  during 
the  first  week  of  your  4th  assignment. 

Problems 

These  problems  are  a  continuance  of  the  work 
of  the  4th  assignment. 

Problem.    Work  the  questions  in  Exercise  XIX 
of  Book  1,  Philips '  Arithmetic. 
Note  :    You  may  choose  either  this  or  one  of  the 
weeks  in  Algebra  in  Part  B. 

Equivalents 
The  exercise  counts  for  five  days'  work. 

This  completes  Part  A, 

Conference. 

In  our  conference  this  week  we  shall  have  a  gen- 
eral review  of  the  work  of  the  5th  Assignment. 


124  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

PARTB. 

Algebra 

Part  B  is  not  compulsory  for  all  of  you,  but  I 
should  like  as  many  as  possible  to  try  it.  If  you 
complete  parts  B  and  C  satisfactorily,  you  will  be 
marked  a  "maximum  pupil' '  on  your  report. 

Problems 

Will  you  read  very  carefully  pages  1  and  2  of 
the  General  Mathematics. 
Pboblem  1.    What  is  an  equation? 

Explain  to  me  either  orally  or  by  means  of 
written  work  how  this  experiment  proves  that  if 
the  same  number  be  subtracted  from  both  sides  of 
an  equation  the  remainders  are  equal. 
Pboblem  2.  There  is  another  experiment  de- 
scribed on  page  3  which  proves  that  if  both  sides 
of  an  equation  are  divided  by  the  same  number  the 
quotients  are  equal.    Can  you  explain  this  also? 

Work  all  the  problems  on  pages  2  and  4. 

Equivalents 
Equations. 

The  parts  of  an  expression  separated  by  plus 
(  +  )  and  minus  ( — )  signs  are  called  the  terms  of 
a  number. 

Thus  2a  and  3b  are  the  terms  of  the  number 
2a-}-3b.    A  one  term  number  is  called  a  monomial. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  125 

Problems 


Problem  1. 


8-7-2=     ?  8x-7x-2x=     ? 

8+2-7=     ?  8a;+2a;-7:r=     I 

2+8-7=     !  2x+8x-lx=     ? 

The  value  of  an  expression  is  unchanged  if  the 
order  of  its  terms  is  changed,  provided  each  term 
carries  with  it  the  sign  at  its  left.  If  no  sign  is  ex- 
pressed at  the  left  of  the  first  term  of  an  expres- 
sion the  plus  sign  is  understood. 

SlMILAE  AND  DISSIMILAR  TERMS. 

Terms  which  have  a  common  literal  factor,  as 
2x,  3x  and  5x,  are  similar  terms.  Their  sum  is  a 
one-term  expression,  namely,  10a;.  When  terms 
do  not  have  a  common  literal  factor,  as  2x  and  3y, 
they  are  called  dissimilar  terms. 

Algebraic  expressions  are  simplified  by  combin- 
ing similar  terms.     Combining  similar  terms  in 
either  the  right  or  the  left  member  of  an  equation 
gives  us  the  same  equation  in  simpler  form. 
Problem  2.    Solve  the  following  equations : 

1.  2#-7=#+3. 

2.  3a?+2=a?+8. 

3.  bx-3x+2x-2=2x+x-\-12. 

4.  lSy-Sy+3y-2=by-2y+U. 

5.  20+4#=38-10:z. 

6.  5<r+3-a>=a+18. 

7.  7r+18+3r=32+2r-2. 

8.  16+65+30+65-45+8+12+35+13+5129. 

9.  25y-20-72/-5=56— 5i/+5. 


126  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Equivalents 

Problem  1  counts  as  one-half  a  day's  work:  in 
Problem  2,  two  questions  count  as  one  day's 
work. 

PART  C. 

Work  the  following  problems : 

Problem  1 :  A  garden  roller  is  4  ft.  8  in.  in  circum- 
ference, and  is  2  ft.  10  in.  long.  How  many  square 
yards  of  ground  would  be  covered  when  it  has 
turned  12  times? 

Problem  2.  The  sides  of  a  wooden  building  50  ft. 
long,  I8V2  ft-  wide,  and  with  walls  12y2  ft.  high, 
are  to  be  painted.  Find  the  area  that  is  to  be  so 
treated. 

AET  ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment  No.  1 

(For  Fifth  Grade  Pupils  of  9  to  10  years.) 

Qrade  V         ART  3rd  Contract  Assignment 

Christmas  Gifts 
Block  printed  mat  or  magazine  cover. 
Design. 

1.  Study  the  illustrative  material — block 
printed  mat  and  designs  and  blocks  posted  on  the 
green  bulletin  board.    Notice  the  nice,  interesting 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  127 

spacing  in  the  designs — it  is  not  all  alike.  Notice 
the  interesting  edges  of  the  designs.  They  have 
variety  also. 

2.  How  to  begin:  Choose  the  size  you  wish 
your  design  to  be  and  cut  out  a  piece  of  manilla 
drawing  paper  that  size.  Next  decide  upon  the 
shape — shall  it  be  a  leaf  shape  or  a  flower  shape. 
Think  about  the  curves  and  make  them  beautiful 
when  you  cut  them.  When  you  have  a  large  shape 
so  cut  that  it  pleases  you,  think  about  the  edges. 
Can  you  make  those  edges  more  interesting? 
Study  again  the  edges  of  the  designs  on  the  bul- 
letin board.  Notice  that  the  edges  are  decorated 
in  an  orderly  way.    See  what  you  can  do  to  yours. 

When  your  edges  have  been  decorated  think  of 
the  central  part  of  your  design.  Here  you  must 
consider  your  spacing  quite  carefully.  Be  sure 
that  you  have  variety,  and  be  sure  that  the  shape 
of  the  centre  design  looks  well  with  the  outside 
shape.  Use  a  dark  paper  for  this  part  of  the  de- 
sign. Arrange  your  design  carefully,  and  bring  it 
to  me  for  criticism. 

The  making  of  your  design  is  one  week's  work. 
How  to  Make  your  Block. 

Trace  your  design  onto  a  piece  of  thin  white 
tracing  paper  by  drawing  around  each  part  of  it. 
If  you  do  not  understand,  ask  me  to  show  you  how 
to  do  it. 

When  your  design  is  well  traced,  get  a  piece  of 
linoleum  the  right  size  from  me,  put  a  thin  coat 
of  paste  all  over  your  linoleum,  and  spread  your 
tracing  paper  on  top.  With  a  newspaper  over 
this,  rub  carefully  with  a  pencil. 

When  this  has  thoroughly  dried,  you  are  ready 


128  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

to  cut  your  block.    Ask  me  to  show  you  how  to 
do  it. 
This  will  count  for  two-and-a-half  days '  work. 

HOW  TO  PUT  YOUR  DESIGN  ONTO  YOUE  MAT  OR  MAGA- 
ZINE Cover. 

We  call  this  ' 'blocking  the  design,"  or  " block 
printing"  it.  I  will  have  to  show  you  how  to  do 
this,  but  you  may  get  the  following  materials  be- 
fore asking  me  to  help  you. 

10  pins,  spool  of  thread,  your  block  print,  a 

ruler,  4  thumb  tacks  and  your  linen  or  silk,  a 

drawing-board  and  either  4  paper  towels  or  a 

piece  of  felt  or  cotton  for  padding. 

Blocking  and  making  your  gift  is  one-and-a-half 

weeks '  work.     That  means  you  have  done  three 

weeks '  work  altogether. 

Assignment  No.  2 

(For  Seventh  Grade  Pupils  of  11  to  12  years.) 

Grade  VII       AET  ASSIGNMENT     3rd  Month 

Christmas  Gifts 
Stencilled  Bag  or  Stencilled  Table  Centre. 
Design. 

Materials  to  work  with :  Manilla  paper,  scissors, 
illustrative  material  posted  on  the  board  or  found 
on  the  brown  table. 

The  design  itself :  Study  carefully  the  illustra- 
tive material.  Notice  the  variety  of  shapes,  the 
interesting  shapes,  the  fact  that  either  the  dark  or 


\ 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  129 

the  light  is  most  important,  the  fact  that  your  back- 
ground must  be  interesting  as  well  as  your  fore- 
ground, and  that  it  all  holds  together,  making  a 
single  unit  or  design. 

How  to  begin:  Choose  the  shape  and  size  you 
wish  your  motif  to  be.  Decide  whether  it  shall  be 
a  leaf  or  a  flower  motif.  Fold  your  paper  in  half 
(after  you  have  cut  it  the  correct  size),  then  open 
it  out  before  beginning  to  cut  out  your  design. 

Your  design :  Study  your  paper  and  see  if  you 
can  find  a  design  in  it.  Work  on  just  half  of  your 
paper  first,  then  folding  it,  make  the  other  half 
like  the  first.  Cut  the  general  shape  first,  either 
leaf  or  flower.  Then  begin  to  work  out  a  design 
for  the  centre,  thinking  carefully  about  the  dark 
and  light  shapes.  Be  sure  to  have  variety  and 
beautiful  line.  Bring  your  design  to  me  for 
criticism.    Cut  design  from  stencil  paper. 

Application  op  Design. 

Ask  me  to  show  you  how  to  do  the  stencilling. 
Choose  carefully  the  size  and  proportion  of  your 
bag  and  table  runner.  Decide  just  where  your  de- 
sign is  to  go.  Your  design  may  be  used  as  a 
border  on  either  the  bag  or  table  runner.  Try  re- 
peating it  on  paper  at  different  distances  apart  to 
see  which  looks  the  best.  Try  to  have  the  space 
between  your  designs  make  an  interesting  shape. 
When  you  have  planned  your  repeats  let  me  see 
the  arrangement  before  you  put  it  on  the  ma- 
terial. 

Materials  you  will  need  for  stencilling:  Pins, 
thread,  stencil  brush,  paint,  silk  or  linen  for  your 
Christmas  gift. 


130  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

MUSIC  ASSIGNMENT 

Assignment  No.  1 

(For  Sixth  Grade  Pupils  of  10  to  11  years.) 

parade  VI       MUSIC       5th  Contract  Assignment 

1st  Week 

Heading. 

We  will  continue  our  study  of  folk  songs. 
Choose  two  songs  from  the  list  we  made  last 
month  and  study  in  this  way : 

1.  What  is  the  pulse  f  Clap  the  rhythm.  What 
are  the  rhythmic  patterns? 

2.  Find  the  melodic  patterns;  write  these  in 
your  music  notebook  and  mark  the  number  of 
times  each  appears.  Sing  the  first  phrase.  Sing 
the  second  phrase,  and  so  on  through  the  song. 

3.  Where  is  the  home-tone?  Spell  the  major 
scale  from  that  tone.  Spell  the  major  chord  from 
that  tone.  Are  there  any  phrases  made  entirely 
from  tones  of  that  chord? 

4.  Play  the  song  on  the  piano  (melody  only). 
Can  you  play  it  in  another  key? 

5.  Write  the  song  from  memory  in  your  note- 
book.   Re-write  it  in  another  key. 

The  above  will  count  as  five  days'  work. 

2nd  Week 
Singing. 

1.  Study  exercises  Nos.  21,  22,  23,  and  24  in 
your  solfege  book.  Do  not  mark  your  card  until 
we  have  sung  these  in  our  conference. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  131 

Three  days'  work. 

2.  We  will  devote  part  of  our  conference  time 
to  the  learning  of  these  songs:  (a)  All  the  Birds 
have  Come  Again;  (b)  Early  One  Morning;  (c) 
Now  the  Day  is  Over. 

Memorizing  the  words  will  count  for  two  days' 
work. 

3rd  Week 
Ehythm. 

1.  Divide  the  following  exercises  into  meas- 
ures, indicated  by  the  pulse  signature,  and  sing 
them  on  any  one  pitch,  as  do,  mi. 

4  j  j  J  tnn  in  j  j. j 
I  ail tmsnn  is: u 

This  will  count  as  one  day's  work. 

2.  Scan  the  words  of  the  song  "Lady  Moon." 
Draw  the  note  heads,  the  pulse  signature,  and  the 
bars.    Be  sure  all  measures  are  filled. 

Three  days'  work. 

3.  Here  are  the  first  phrases  of  folk  songs  you 
know.  Do  you  recognize  them?  When  you  are 
sure  you  do,  put  in  pulse  signatures  and  bars  and 
the  words  represented  here. 


132  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

J    J   J   J    J   J   J  J. 
J    J   J  J. 

rn   j  j  j  j  j 
j-  j  j-  j  j-  j  j-  j. 
j.  1 1  i  i  n  j 

One  day's  work. 

You  should  be  able  to  recognize  rhythms 
through  the  ear  and  to  reproduce  them  in  written 
symbols.  Our  ear  training  drills  will  help  you  to 
do  this. 

4th  Week 
Harmony. 

Harmonize  one  of  the  folk  songs  you  studied 
under  Beading. 

Two  days'  work. 
History. 

In  your  English  work  this  month  you  are  going 
to  write  about  the  life  of  some  great  musician. 
You  will  find  on  the  bulletin  board  in  the  music 
room  pictures  of  musicians  about  whom  we  have 
studied,  also  a  list  of  questions  concerning  these 
musicians  which  will  help  you  to  remember  the 
points  we  discussed  in  our  study. 

The  work  in  English  will  count  as  two  days' 
work  in  music. 


SAMPLE  ASSIGNMENTS  133 

Vocabulary. 

The  composer  marks  his  composition  ' '  adagio ' ' : 
how  will  you  play  it  ?  Will  a  cradle  song  be  played 
piano  or  forte  ? 

One  day's  work. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Graph  Method  of  Recording  Progress 

When  we  first  began  to  put  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  into  operation  the  pupils  were  given  a  daily 
diary  in  which  they  were  expected  to  enter  the 
amount  of  work  they  had  done  in  each  subject  be- 
fore leaving  any  laboratory.  But  this  method,  be- 
sides imposing  a  great  deal  of  extra  reading  upon 
the  teacher,  soon  proved  itself  inadequate  to  the 
purpose.  At  the  same  time  it  was  evident  that  some 
measure  of  time  and  work  was  essential.  Fre- 
quently pupils  who  had  worked  steadily  were  sur- 
prised to  find  themselves  behindhand  with  their 
contract  job  at  the  end  of  the  week.  Without  a 
check  to  show  them  exactly  what  they  had  done 
they  were,  we  found,  apt  to  devote  too  much  time 
to  a  favourite  subject  and  not  enough  to  the 
others.  Often,  indeed,  they  wandered  altogether 
from  the  assigned  requirements  and  even  from  the 
subjects  indicated  therein.  The  time  allotted  was 
being  used  without  any  real  sense  of  responsi- 
bility. Comprehension  of  what  that  responsibility 
entailed  was  lacking.  As  long  as  time  was  not 
consciously  wasted  pupils  failed  at  that  moment 
to  grasp  that  the  proper  division  of  their  time  was 
essential  to  the  good  and  satisfactory  use  of  it. 
They  were  like  people  who  expect  you  to  pardon 

134 


THE   GRAPH   METHOD  135 

their  errors  of  judgment  on  consideration  of  their 
good  intentions.  They  did  not  budget  time,  they 
merely  squandered  it. 

I  have  already  related  my  early  experiments 
when  the  graph  method  of  checking  progress  first 
occurred  to  me.  Its  superiority  to  the  diary  soon 
became  evident,  and  henceforward  it  was  adopted 
as  an  integral  portion  of  the  Dalton  Plan.  This  de- 
vice not  only  helps  the  pupil  to  measure  his  time 
wisely,  but  also  to  adjust  it  to  the  fulfilment  of 
his  job.  It  made  the  contract  stand  out  clearly  as 
a  whole  unit,  and  imparted  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility without  driving  the  pupil.  But  the  graph 
has  done  more  than  that.  It  has  lightened  the 
teacher's  task  and  simplified  the  organization  of 
work  in  the  laboratories  and  the  general  organiza- 
tion of  the  school. 

There  are  three  different  kinds  of  graphs.  The 
first  is  the  Instructor's  Laboratory  Graph,  which 
is  kept  in  the  laboratory  under  the  direction  of  the 
specialist  in  charge.  These  graphs  are  printed  in 
five  or  more  colours,  one  for  each  of  the  different 
forms.  The  following  sample,  like  all  my  graphs, 
is  made  by  the  Educational  Supply  Association,  40a 
Holborn  Viaduct,  London,  and  can  be  procured  in 
the  United  States  through  the  Children's  Uni- 
versity School. 

This  sample  Graph  I  assumes  that  there  are 
thirty-five  pupils  in  the  class.  I  have  filled  in  a 
few  names  in  order  to  illustrate  clearly  the  method 
of  marking  progress.  Mary,  Clara,  Dorothy,  and 
Helen  have,  we  will  suppose,  finished  the  work  re- 
quired during  the  first  week  of  the  monthly  assign- 
ment.   Each  girl,  therefore,  draws  a  line  opposite 


136  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

to  her  name  through  the  five  spaces  to  indicate  the 
work  accomplished.  These  five  spaces  represent 
five  days'  work.  Frances,  having  only  done  two- 
fifths  of  the  week's  work,  draws  her  line  across 
two  of  the  five  spaces,  while  Mildred  and  Anne 
record  their  three-fifths  in  the  same  way.  The 
equivalents  indicated  in  the  assignment  show  them 
how  to  reckon  their  work. 

By  this  method  the  instructor  can  tell  at  a  glance 
exactly  what  progress  each  pupil  has  made  in  any 
given  subject,  and  by  consulting  the  graphs  in  the 
other  laboratories  she  can  follow  his  progress  in 
all  the  subjects  of  his  contract.  The  graph  also 
shows  which  subjects  are  most  interesting  to  the 
child,  and  to  what  extent  the  assignment  affects 
the  development  of  the  class  as  a  whole. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  equally  valuable  to  the 
pupil  who  is  conscious  every  time  he  marks  the 
graph,  both  of  what  work  he  has  done  and  of  what 
remains  to  do.  He  can,  at  the  same  time,  compare 
his  achievement  with  that  of  his  fellow  pupils.  Of 
course,  the  quick,  intelligent  child  will  make,  at 
least  in  some  subjects,  more  rapid  progress  than 
the  slow  or  stupid  child.  But  having  checked  his 
progress  himself,  he  has  no  sense  of  unfairness  in 
the  estimation  of  his  powers.  The  graph  elimi- 
nates the  discouraging  feeling  of  being  at  a  disad- 
vantage in  comparison  with  others,  which  is  so 
afflicting  to  a  slow  child  under  the  class  system. 
Very  often,  too,  the  pupil,  who  is  abnormally  slow 
in  some  subjects,  is  shown  by  the  graph  method  to 
be  abnormally  quick  in  some  one  subject  for  which 
he  has  a  natural  aptitude.  By  budgeting  his  time 
he  can  make  better  progress  in  getting  ahead. 


THE  GRAPH   METHOD 


137 


Instructor's    Laboratory  Graph. 

Subject 

Form 

Assignment 

I 

Instructor 
R    H  6. 

Names 

1st  week 

2~?  Week 

3rd  Week 

4TH  Week 

1 

2 

3 

4      ! 

8 

7 

8 

9 

10 

1     12 

13 

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34 

ss 

Dalion  Graph,  No.  1.    Copyright,  Children's  University  School. 

GRAPH  I 
(Actual  size:  12  by  8  in.) 


138  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Graphs  are,  moreover,  very  helpful  to  a  teacher 
in  the  choice  of  the  right  moment  to  offer  special 
help  or  instruction  to  her  pupils.  If,  for  instance, 
she  observes  that  several  children  have  reached 
the  same  stage  in  their  work  on  any  given  subject, 
she  can  give  them  an  appointment  to  meet  her  to- 
gether on  the  following  day  at  a  fixed  hour  in  the 
laboratory  belonging  to  that  subject.  These  ap- 
pointments should  be  posted  on  the  students '  gen- 
eral notice  board.  Any  individual  or  group,  or,  if 
advisable,  the  entire  class,  can  be  summoned  in 
this  way  for  help  and  consultation.  Experience 
has  shown  us  that  students  appreciate  these  calls. 

We  come  now  to  graph  II,  or,  as  it  is  called,  the 
Pupil's  Contract  Graph,  whereby  a  student  can 
watch  and  record  his  progress  in  all  the  subjects 
of  his  assignment.  Each  time  he  marks  the  lab- 
oratory graph  as  I  have  described  he  makes  a  cor- 
responding line  for  that  subject  upon  his  own  par- 
ticular graph.  It  is,  as  it  were,  a  balance  sheet  of 
his  time.  Before  beginning  work,  every  morning 
he  ought  to  study  it  carefully,  for  it  automatically 
reminds  him  both  of  his  weakness  in  some  subjects 
and  of  the  time  which  he  should  set  aside  to  over- 
come that  weakness.  The  Pupil's  Contract  Graph 
has,  we  find,  done  more  than  anything  to  inculcate 
the  value  of  time  and  a  sense  of  responsibility  for 
its  use.  It  has  also  generated  a  spontaneous  de- 
sire to  save  time  so  that  special  difficulties  should 
be  conquered.  These  graphs  stimulated  thor- 
ough work  rather  than  hurried  work.  The 
pupil 's  graph  is  printed  in  different  colours  cor- 
responding to  the  laboratory  graphs. 
•     Most  of  the  headings  and  spaces  on  the  sample 


THE  GRAPH  METHOD 


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140  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

pupil's  graph  explain  themselves,  but  a  brief  ex- 
planation of  how  it  is  to  be  used  as  a  record  is 
necessary.  It  will  be  seen  that  at  the  bottom  of  the 
card,  ten  spaces  are  provided  for  the  names  of  the 
maximum  number  of  subjects  a  pupil  can  carry. 
Under  these  spaces  there  are  similar  blanks 
against  the  word  "Test."  This  word  can,  of 
course,  be  interpreted  in  various  ways.  I  do  not 
myself  believe  that  examinations  supply  any  real 
test  of  a  pupil's  knowledge  or  ability.  But  the 
word  and  the  space  have  been  included  in  the 
graph  for  the  use  of  such  schools  as  hold  period- 
ical examinations. 

The  four  spaces  marked  "1st  week,  2nd  week, 
3rd  week,  4th  week"  correspond  to  the  four  weekly 
assignments  or  divisions  of  any  monthly  contract. 
In  order  to  indicate  the  days  in  a  school  week  each 
weekly  partition  has  five  separate  spaces.  This 
makes  it  possible  for  a  pupil  who  has,  let  us  sup- 
pose, done  three-fifths  of  a  week's  work  in  mathe- 
matics to  draw  an  upward  line  through  three  of 
the  five  spaces.  If  he  has  only  completed  half  a 
week's  work  he  should  draw  the  line  through  two- 
and-a-half  spaces. 

Betty  Underwood  is  twelve  years  of  age,  a  pupil 
in  Form  II,  who  begins  her  contract  job  on  Octo- 
ber 5th.  Only  major  subjects  are  entered  in  her 
graph,  and  in  this,  her  first  assignment,  she  carries 
Mathematics,  History,  Geography,  English, 
Science,  and  French.  Being  a  voluntary  agent  in 
the  use  of  her  time,  Betty  decides  on  her  first  day 
to  study  history.  She  therefore  goes  into  the  his- 
tory laboratory  and  stays  there  until  she  has  ex- 
hausted her  interest  in  the  history  part  of  her  as- 


THE  GRAPH   METHOD  141 

signment  and  desires  a  change  of  subject.  Before 
leaving  it  she  consults  the  teacher  in  charge  and 
ascertains  that  she  has  done  the  equivalent  in  time 
of  three-fifths  of  a  week's  work  in  history.  She 
records  this  by  drawing  a  line  across  three  spaces 
on  the  Instructor's  Laboratory  Graph,  and  in  her 
new  Pupil  Contract  Graph  she  draws  another  line 
up  through  three  of  the  five  spaces.  At  the  end  of 
each  line  she  places  a  figure  one  (1)  to  show  that 
it  is  her  first  work  day  on  this  particular  assign- 
ment. 

Betty  then  elects  to  go  into  the  English  lab- 
oratory. On  reading  through  the  English  assign- 
ment she  will  find  that  owing  to  the  varied  nature 
of  the  work  equivalents  in  time  are  given.  Gram- 
mar, she  is  told,  will  count  for  two  days'  work; 
reading  for  two  more  days;  and  composition  for 
one  day.  Being  in  no  mood  for  composition  she 
decides  to  read,  and  does  all  the  reading  required 
in  her  assignment.  As  there  is  still  a  little  time 
left  before  twelve  o'clock,  she  attacks  her  gram- 
mar, finishing  half  of  the  amount  required.  Her 
equivalent  is  thus  one  space  indicating  one  day  of 
work  for  grammar  and  two  spaces  or  two  days, 
for  reading ;  so  after  drawing  a  line  through  three 
spaces  on  the  Instructor's  Laboratory  Graph,  she 
marks  the  English  column  on  her  own  graph  in  the 
same  way. 

The  entire  morning  of  her  second  day  is  spent 
by  Betty  in  the  science  laboratory.  Consequently, 
she  not  only  finishes  her  first  week's  assignment  in 
science,  but  also  does  one  day's  work  of  the  second 
week's  requirements.  To  indicate  this,  she  adds 
the  figure  '  *  2 "  at  the  end  of  the  graph  line  which 


142  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

covers  six  spaces,  showing  that  the  sixth  space  is 
included  in  her  second  day's  work  of  the  first 
week. 

The  second  sample  of  Graph  II  shows  Betty's 
completed  contract,  the  numbers  attached  to  the 
end  of  each  line  indicate  the  day  on  which  she  has 
done  a  given  piece  of  work.  What  we  constantly 
should  note  is  whether  or  not  the  children  are  com- 
pleting the  twenty  days'  allotted  work  in  twenty 
days  or  not. 

If  Betty  had  worked  for  five  days  and  then 
absented  herself  through  illness,  upon  the  day  of 
her  return  to  school  she  would  have  marked  every- 
thing accomplished  with  a  "6."  We  do  not  want 
her  to  feel  that  she  has  lost  ground  but  rather  to 
measure  the  ground  covered  in  terms  of  time 
taken.  In  this  way  we  can  fairly  measure  her  with 
her  contemporaries. 

In  reading  her  graph  we  see  that  she  has 
finished  her  assignment  in  the  allotted  twenty  days. 
The  figure  "4"  entered  under  the  heading  "No. 
of  weeks"  shows  this.  But  if  the  assignment  had 
taken  her  twenty-two  days  she  would  have  added 
the  figure  "2"  under  the  heading  "No.  of  days," 
signifying  four  weeks  and  two  days  for  the 
monthly  contract  job. 

On  the  nineteenth  day,  though  Betty  had  com- 
pleted her  first  month's  work  in  mathematics,  she 
was  not  permitted  to  start  the  second  month's 
work  in  this  subject,  because  her  contract  requires 
fulfillment  in  all  its  parts  before  taking  on  extra 
work  in  any  one  part.  The  object  of  the  Pupil's 
Contract  Graph  is  only  to  measure  laboratory  time, 
so  only  assigned  subjects  should  be  entered  there- 


THE  GRAPH  METHOD 


143 


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144  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

upon.  But  before  Betty  terminates  her  month  she 
will  have  been  submitted  to  tests  or  examinations 
during  the  concurrent  oral  lessons.  Had  these 
successive  tests  revealed  that  Betty  had  been  able 
to  accomplish  all  her  allotted  work  in,  say  fifteen 
days,  she  could  safely  have  been  permitted  to 
tackle  her  second  month's  assignment  in  mathe- 
matics, for  her  general  written  examination  would 
be  fixed  with  those  of  all  the  pupils  in  the  form  at 
the  end  of  the  twenty  days.  It  would  not  be  fair 
to  make  Betty  regulate  her  pace  on  that  of  the 
slower  pupils.  But  this  is  a  question  which  each 
instructor's  experience  of  individual  pupils  will 
enable  her  to  decide. 

Under  the  Dalton  Plan  there  is  no  danger  that 
a  child  will  have  forgotten  by  the  end  of  the  month 
what  she  learnt  at  the  beginning.  Having  studied 
each  subject  at  his  own  pace  at  the  moment  when 
interest  was  keenest,  the  knowledge  thus  acquired 
fixes  itself  far  more  deeply  in  the  memory  than 
under  the  old  class  system,  when  he  was  often  un- 
willingly forced  to  cram  a  lesson  for  recitation  on 
the  following  day,  which  faded  from  his  mind  im- 
mediately after. 

As  I  have  indicated,  in  cases  where  a  pupil  is 
obliged  to  interrupt  his  job  owing  to  absence 
through  illness  he  takes  it  up  on  his  return  at  the 
point  where  he  left  it.  As  there  are  no  programme 
conflicts  under  our  method,  he  can  also  enter 
school  at  any  time  during  the  term.  A  child 
simply  marks  his  day  on  the  basis  of  his  accom- 
plishment as  he  goes  on,  just  as  a  time  contractor 
is  paid  for  his  job  whatever  it  may  be  according  to 
the  number  of  days  he  works  at  it. 


THE  GRAPH   METHOD  145 

From  the  social  point  of  view  we  have  also 
found  the  graph  device  invaluable.  The  tendency 
among  members  of  a  form  is  always  to  compare 
their  graphs.  Elder  students  also  develop  interest 
in,  and  sympathy  with,  the  progress  of  the 
younger  children,  and  frequently  help  them  with- 
out any  prompting  from  the  teacher  with  advice 
on  the  division  of  their  time  and  on  the  best  way 
to  overcome  difficulties  of  all  kinds.  Thus  group 
control  and  the  sentiment  of  fraternity  spreads 
through  the  school  to  the  lasting  benefit  of  all  con- 
cerned. 

To  become  masters  not  only  of  their  time  and 
work,  but  also  of  themselves,  is  a  real  preparation 
for  life  where  we  have  to  learn  to  do  the  work  that 
lies  before  us  whether  we  are  interested  in  it  or 
not.  And  even  interest  grows  out  of  the  sense  of 
problems  solved  and  obstacles  conquered.  As  a 
child  once  remarked  to  a  teacher  whom  I  know: 
*  *  You  learn  that  whatever  you  have  to  do  can  be- 
come what  you  want  to  do."  That  child  was  not 
by  any  means  an  abnormally  intelligent  specimen. 
He  was,  on  the  contrary,  rather  below  the  average, 
a  boy  who  had  after  much  struggle  and  persever- 
ance risen  above  his  natural  difficulties.  And  I 
think  I  can  claim  that  it  was  the  Dalton  Plan  which 
enabled  him  to  attain  self-mastery. 

On  the  back  of  the  Pupil's  Contract  Graph  there 
is  a  blank  space  for  a  list  of  suggestions  to  pupils 
which  can  be  made  either  by  the  staff  or  by  a  com- 
mittee of  students.  Here  they  can  be  told  exactly 
how  to  use  their  graphs,  and  such  recommenda- 
tions as  "If  you  find  one  laboratory  crowded  it  is 


146  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

advisable  to  go  into  another  in  order  to  avoid 
wasting  your  time"  may  be  included.  Do  not, 
however,  let  the  suggestions  degenerate  into  a  list 
of  rules.  This  can  be  avoided  by  allowing  stu- 
dents to  make  suggestions  from  time  to  time  which 
will,  moreover,  stimulate  their  imagination  as 
well  as  develop  the  sense  of  responsibility.  Young 
children  may  not  be  capable  of  this,  but  girls  and 
boys  between  twelve  and  twenty  should  certainly 
be  called  upon  occasionally  to  make  suggestions 
for  their  own  form. 

Graph  III  is  a  Form  or,  as  in  England,  a  House 
Graph  in  which  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  entire 
number  of  weeks  of  work  done.  For  convenience 
it  is  designed  with  forty  spaces  so  as  to  record 
progress  in  as  many  as  ten  subjects.  If  six  major 
subjects  out  of  the  curriculum  are  carried  by  one 
pupil,  then,  with  four  weeks  of  work  to  be  done  in 
each  subject,  the  total  contract  will  represent 
twenty-four  weeks.  Five  subjects  represent 
twenty  weeks,  and  so  on.  Graph  III,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  sample,  should  be  marked  every 
week  either  at  its  beginning  or  at  its  close.  It  may 
be  cut  to  fit  the  number  of  weeks  required  by  any 
contract. 

By  using  a  fresh  Form  or  House  Graph  every 
week  we  can  get  a  psychological  picture  of  the  gen- 
eral progress  of  each  class  and  of  the  whole  school. 
These  records  should  be  dated  and  carefully  pre- 
served in  its  archives.  Graph  III  should  contain 
a  space  for  every  pupil  in  the  house  or  form.    We 


THE  GRAPH  METHOD 


147 


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148 


THE  DALTON   PLAN 


will  continue  Betty's  story  to  illustrate  how  it 
should  be  used. 

Assuming  that  she  has  done,  during  one  weekly 
period  of  five  days,  an  equivalent  of  four  days  of 
history,  three  days  of  English,  and  five  days  of 
geography,  six  days  of  science,  and  one  day  of 
French,  or  nineteen  days  in  all,  we  proceed  to 
divide  nineteen  by  five  in  order  to  establish  how 
many  weeks  of  work  she  has  completed  towards 
her  total.    Our  result  being  three  and  four-fifths, 

Attendance  Graph 


Day  and  Date  XtiuL**^  4&S.  .q>3 

Names 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

ON   TIME. 

LATE 

ON   TIME 

LATE 

&ft| 

•S 

S 

/ 

y 

XsJ 

q-io 

i* 

»L 

\ 

GRAPH  IV 


Betty  is  entitled  to  mark  three  spaces  and  the 
greater  part  of  a  fourth  space  on  the  Form  Graph. 
A  fourth  graph  for  the  registration  of  attend- 
ance is  used  in  some  day  schools,  either  one  graph 
for  the  whole  school  if  it  is  small,  or  one  for  each 
form  if  preferred.  The  Attendance  Graph  should 
be  posted  on  the  hall  notice  board  so  that  each 
pupil  can  record  the  hour  of  her  arrival  every 
morning.  We  have  not  a  printed  card  for  this 
graph,  but  it  is  very  simple  to  design.    Under  the 


THE   GRAPH   METHOD  149 

date  is  a  list  of  all  the  children's  names,  and 
opposite  each  two  spaces,  one  headed ' '  Punctual, ' ' 
the  other  headed  ' i  Late. "  Good  timekeepers  mark 
their  arrival  in  the  first  space,  the  late  ones  record 
the  exact  time — which  they  can  see  on  the  clock 
that  should  hang  above  the  notice  board — when 
they  reach  school.  The  absence  of  any  pupil  is  in- 
dicated by  the  blank  space. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Teaching  and  Learning 

Personally  I  am  of  opinion  that  teaching  has  been 
done  more  efficiently  throughout  the  world  than 
many  critics  of  our  educational  system  realize. 
Our  schools  contain  a  large  number  of  instructors 
who  possess  a  wide  knowledge  both  of  the  subjects 
they  teach  and  of  the  methods  of  handling  and 
simplifying  that  knowledge.  If  we  fail  to  recog- 
nize the  high  level  the  teacher  frequently  attains 
it  is  because  teaching  so  often  proves  ineffective — 
because  the  learner  does  not  learn.  The  truth  is 
that  we  have  hitherto  confused  the  problems  of 
teaching  and  of  learning,  or,  rather,  treated  them 
as  if  they  were  not  two  problems,  but  one.  We 
have  not  hitherto  appreciated  the  fact  that  teach- 
ing is  simply  like  taking  the  horse  to  the  water.  It 
can,  on  the  old  system,  no  more  make  the  learner 
learn  than  the  leader  of  the  horse  can  make  him 
drink. 

Teachers  are  not,  however,  to  blame  because  our 
school  machinery  has  been  carefully  built  up  from 
the  point  of  view  not  of  pupil,  but  of  the  instructor. 
At  best,  the  most  skilful  teacher  can  only  erect  an 
educational  tent  over  her  class.    She  may  erect  it 

150 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  151 

dramatically  in  expert  fashion,  but  as  the  crowd 
of  pupils  assembled  under  it  are  individuals  who 
vary  widely  in  mental  and  moral  equipment,  only 
a  small  proportion  of  them  will  be  able  to  follow 
or  to  assimilate  her  efforts.  The  bulk  of  them  will 
find  the  tent  either  too  small  or  too  large  for  them. 
They  will  be  near  to  or  far  from  the  " speaker's 
idea."  It  is  after  all  her  work,  not  their  work; 
her  speed,  not  their  speed;  her  interest,  not  their 
interest.  Not  until  learning  is  envisaged  from  the 
learner's  point  of  view  will  our  youth  come  out 
from  school  really  educated.  Not  until  school  ma- 
chinery is  reorganized  and  the  energies  of  the 
pupils  released  from  the  time-table  and  the  class- 
tent  will  they  begin  to  develop  that  initiative,  re- 
sourcefulness, and  concentration  which  are  the  in- 
dispensable preliminaries  to  the  process  of  learn- 
ing. 

Under  the  old  system  the  teacher  has  become 
the  chief  actor  in  the  play.  She  is,  perhaps  uncon- 
sciously, occupied  in  trying  to  impress  her  person- 
ality and  her  ideas  upon  the  children.  But  the 
Dalton  Plan  reverses  these  parts  and  gives  the 
child's  personality  a  chance;  the  teacher's  part 
being  to  accompany  the  enfolding  life  step  by  step. 
This  is  not  to  relegate  the  instructor  to  an  inferior 
plane.  To  understand  the  child  and  to  keep  pace 
with  his  growth  she  must  grow  herself,  for  the 
same  fundamental  laws  that  govern  growth  pre- 
vail on  every  successive  plane. 

The  true  business  of  school  is  not  to  chain  the 


152  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

pupil  to  preconceived  ideas,  but  to  set  him  free  to 
discover  his  own  ideas  and  to  help  him  to  bring  all 
his  powers  to  bear  upon  the  problem  of  learning. 
A  contract  job  upon  which  he  must  exercise  his  in- 
genuity is  in  the  nature  of  a  challenge  to  which  he 
responds  automatically.  Even  if  at  first  he  does 
not  know  quite  what  to  do  with  his  responsibility, 
experience  and  freedom  together  will  soon  bring 
understanding.  Experience  is  the  best  and  indeed 
the  only  real  teacher. 

Parents  have  often  asked  me  why  it  is  that  bad 
language  and  bad  habits  wield  such  a  fascination 
over  children.  The  reason,  I  believe,  is  that  in 
adopting  them  he  is  conscious  and  has  the  joy  of 
acting  as  a  voluntary  agent.  As  such  he  often 
seizes  upon  and  forms  a  habit  which  no  amount  of 
punishment  will  divest  him  of.  The  attraction  lies 
not  so  much  in  the  evil  thing,  itself,  but  in  the  sym- 
bol of  freedom  which  it  represents.  Thus  he  de- 
lights in  the  sense  of  liberty  his  voluntary  adop- 
tion of  it  gives  him.  Why  not  let  him  have  this 
same  sensation  in  connection  with  work  and  learn- 
ing? 

"At  what  age,"  I  have  also  been  asked,  "does 
a  child  become  sufficiently  conscious  of  his  experi- 
ences to  profit  by  them?"  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  at  nine  or  ten  the  normal  child  is  capable  of 
appreciating  his  experiences,  and  that  he  should 
then  begin  to  learn  to  organize  his  work  on  that 
basis.  He  ought,  at  that  age,  to  be  ready  for  his 
first  job.    Certain  facts  must,  however,  be  kept  in 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  153 

mind  in  any  consideration  of  a  child's  educational 
-needs.  There  are,  roughly  speaking,  three  sepa- 
rate periods  of  development  which  should  be  taken 
into  account.  Up  to  the  age  of  eight  the  child 
should  be  allowed  such  freedom  as  will  develop  his 
individual  powers  so  that  he  can  function  later  as 
a  responsible  member  of  the  group.  This  is  the 
reason  for,  and  the  purpose  of,  freedom.  During 
the  second,  or  pre-adolescent,  period,  between 
eight  and  twelve,  he  must  acquire  the  "  tools  of 
knowledge."  These  will  prepare  him  for  adoles- 
cence, between  twelve  and  twenty,  which  is  the 
third  stage  in  his  development.  This  last,  owing 
to  the  physical  change  it  brings,  is  the  most  dim- 
cult,  from  the  point  of  view  of  work  and  concentra- 
tion. Unless  we  help  the  child  to  build  up  its 
character  in  the  pre-adolescent  period  there  is  a 
danger  of  his  following  the  line  of  least  resistance 
during  the  critical  years  of  adolescence  because  he 
will  not  have  sufficient  intellectual  ballast. 

Liberty  is  at  all  ages  equally  vital  to  the  child, 
for  he  is  as  truly  an  individual  in  infancy  as  at  any 
later  stage  of  his  life.  The  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  is  designed  as  a  step  towards  the  solution  of 
those  problems  which  are  peculiar  to  the  second 
and  third  periods  of  his  evolution. 

In  infant  schools  where  freedom  of  work  is  prac- 
tised, the  teacher  prepares  and  presents  a  grada- 
tion of  stimuli  in  the  form  of  material  objects. 
The  careful  presentation  of  these  objects  at  the 
time  when  they  appeal  to  the  child  is  enough  to 


154  /THE  DALTON  PLAN 

lead  him,  step  by  step,  through  the  various  sub- 
jects of  a  curriculum.  It  is  evident  that  at  this 
stage  the  teacher  is  really  the  controlling  lever. 
The  extent  of  control  and  the  benefit  derived  by 
the  child  is  determined  by  the  character  of  the 
material  objects  placed  in  his  environment. 

At  the  pre-adolescent  stage  of  a  child's  life  the 
problem  changes  witfe  his  growth.  Now,  in  addi- 
tion to  freedom  and  %  selected  equipment,  the 
pupil  should  begin  to  play  a  part  in  initiating  and 
organizing  his  own  pursuits.  His  released  energy 
and  intelligence  must  be  used  to  achieve  some  pur- 
pose of  which  he  is  really  conscious.  Here  the  ex- 
tent of  his  achievement  depends  upon  his  ability 
to  organize  not  only  his  studies  and  his  equip- 
ment, but  his  time  to  better  and  better  advantage. 
This  means  organizing  his  life,  then  and  there- 
after. In  infancy,  the  power  of  concentration  is 
shown  by  prolonged  attention,  whereas  in  pre- 
adolescence  concentration  is  apt  to  become  of 
shorter  duration,  but  of  much  higher  power.  The 
pupil  then  requires  another  kind  of  freedom.  At 
the  earlier  stage  environment  was  so  conditioned 
as  to  control  and  develop  him,  now  he  should  con- 
tinue his  development  by  learning  to  control  his 
environment.  If  he  is  not  permitted  to  do  this  the 
power  he  generates  at  this  age  may  control  him 
unless  he  learns  to  control  it. 

Modern  psychology  and  its  discoveries  throw 
much  light  upon  pre-adolescent  problems.  It 
teaches  us  to  replace  the  inductive  methods,  dear; 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  155 

to  the  old  school  of  pedagogy,  by  deductive 
methods.  We  have  now  learnt  that  a  general  idea 
of  the  thing  to  be  accomplished  is  essential,  not 
only  for  the  fundamental  purpose  of  arousing  the 
child's  interest,  but  also  so  that  he  may  intellectu- 
ally appreciate  the  purpose  of  the  demands  made 
upon  him.  The  goal  to  be  aimed  at  is  to  the  child 
like  a  carrot  to  a  donkey — it  keeps  him  moving  on- 
wards. A  project  ahead,  provided  for  in  terms  of 
a  contract  job,  is  the  best  illustration  of  the  deduc- 
tive method.  When  the  child  has  a  project  in 
front  of  him,  which  he  has  determined  to  carry  out, 
his  interest  may  be  temporarily,  but  is  never  per- 
manently, side-tracked.  The  same  thing  holds 
good  in  adult  life.  Without  projects  it  would  not 
be  worth  living,  nor  should  we  be  able  to  live  it  to 
any  purpose. 

Until  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  showed  the 
new  and  better  way  many  teachers,  while  cherish- 
ing a  theoretical  faith  in  freedom  for  the  child, 
seem  never  to  have  discovered  how  to  reconcile 
this  idea  with  the  task  of  carrying  out  a  curric- 
ulum. They  have  regarded  the  problem  as  if  it 
consisted  of  two  irreconcilable  elements  instead 
of  realizing  that  only  by  liberating  the  pupil  can 
the  curriculum  ever  be  thoroughly  and  satisfac- 
torily carried  out.  The  new  method  demonstrates 
this  unity,  and  in  so  doing  changes  the  attitudes 
of  both  teacher  and  pupil  towards  the  work  to  be 
done  and  towards  each  other. 

If  the  curriculum  is  gradually  mastered  by  the 


156  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

liberated  pupil  in  his  pre-adolescent  period,  he  will 
possess  a  body  of  correlated  knowledge  which  will 
serve  as  a  ballast  for  adolescence.  Armed  with 
the  "tools  of  knowledge,' '  that  stage  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  wider  powers  for  building  a  super- 
structure of  real  culture  upon  a  sure  foundation. 
Without  this  fundamental  basis  he  will  have  noth- 
ing but  sand  to  build  upon  and  may  even  lose  the 
desire  to  build  altogether. 

But  modern  psychology  can  help  us  still  more( 
in  the  testing  of  individual  capacity  among  pupils. 
If  such  tests  do  not  cure  the  weakness  of  chil- 
dren who  are  subjected  to  them  they  do  reveal  those 
weaknesses  very  clearly.  On  one  occasion  an  emi- 
nent psychologist  applied  a  series  of  such  tests  to 
pupils  in  a  large  secondary  school  in  England. 
They  showed  that  the  students  varied  enormously 
in  their  mental  power.  The  discovered  individual 
capacity  was  recorded  by  a  number  known  as  the 
"intelligence  quotient,"  or,  as  scientists  call  it,  the 
"I.Q."  In  this  instance  it  ranged  from  high  to 
low,  but,  strange  to  say,  the  academic  accomplish- 
ment of  these  pupils  was  not  found  to  correspond 
to  their  intelligence  quotient.  Many  pupils  with 
a  low  "I.Q."  far  excelled  the  achievements  of 
others  with  a  high  ' '  I.Q. "  This  demonstrated  that 
the  conditions  prevailing  in  that  school  were  not 
calculated  to  permit  mentally  superior  students  to 
do  justice  to  their  capacity.  Fourteen  months 
later,  after  the  school  had  been  reorganized  on  the 
Dalton  Plan,  a  similar  test  was  made.     To  my 


TEACHING  AND   LEARNING  157 

great  satisfaction  the  tests  revealed  that  the  most 
intelligent  students  had,  through  this  method,  at- 
tained the  highest  accomplishment  worthy  of  their 
powers,  the  lowest  accomplishment  coinciding  with 
the  lowest  intelligence  quotient.  I  strongly  recom- 
mend school  principals  to  have  recourse  to  these 
psychological  tests — which  should,  of  course,  be 
applied  by  an  expert  unconnected  with  the  estab- 
lishment— both  before  the  adoption  of  the  Dalton 
Plan  and  again  a  year  after  it  has  been  put  into 
operation.  If  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  the 
test  were  again  applied,  and  revealed  a  failure  on 
the  part  of  any  individual  pupil  to  do  work  com- 
mensurate with  his  '  ■  I.Q., ' '  then  that  pupil  should 
be  regarded  as  an  abnormal  case  for  whom  a 
special  curriculum  should  be  devised.  His  failure 
will  probably  be  traced  to  some  defect  of  health 
or  character. 

Of  course,  schools,  like  individuals,  possess  dif- 
ferences, and  occasionally  very  marked  differ- 
ences, of  character  and  personality.  Some  will 
therefore  be  slower  than  others  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  new  organization.  But  the  difficulty 
found  in  adjusting  the  school  collectively  to  the 
fresh  angle  of  vision  is  merely  proof  of  the  great 
necessity  of  the  change.  Patience  is  essential  in 
getting  over  the  transition  period.  "When  an  auto- 
mobile is  being  overhauled  the  machine  is  at  a 
standstill.  It  is  the  same  with  a  pupil  struggling 
with  the  new  freedom  the  new  plan  gives  him. 
While  a  child  is  striving  to  master  an  inert  or  a 


158  THE  DALTON   PLAN 

disorderly  mind,  he  will,  to  all  appearances,  be  at 
a  standstill  like  the  motor.  Only  when  he  has 
learnt  how  to  work  will  he  begin  to  make  progress, 
but  once  in  good  working  condition  his  speed  and 
efficiency  should  be  evident.  I  have  come  in  con- 
tact with  many  pupils  of  excellent  ability  who, 
after  four  years  of  school  had  very  poor  records 
of  accomplishment.  This  failure  could  almost  in- 
variably be  traced  to  the  fact  that  such  pupils  had 
habitually  used  their  energy  and  intelligence  to 
avoid  work  and  to  create  discord  in  the  school. 
Several  months  were  required  to  correct  these 
habits.  But  as  soon  as  their  natural  talents  were 
redirected  under  the  Dalton  Plan  I  have  often 
noticed  that  children  who  were  formerly  recalci- 
trant came  out  best  in  the  end  and  surpassed  all 
rivals.  I  may  also  add  that  those  teachers  who,  at 
the  beginning,  were  doubtful  of,  and  even  hostile 
to,  the  new  method,  frequently  became  its  most  en- 
thusiastic supporters.  A  little  tact  in  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  change  will  conjure  many  of  the 
initial  difficulties.  Do  not  introduce  it  to  the 
pupils  with  a  long  sermon  on  the  amount  of  good 
it  will  do  them.  The  best  way  is  to  explain  it  as 
simply  as  possible,  taking  care  that  its  mechanism, 
especially  as  regards  the  graphs,  is  thoroughly 
understood.  It  is  advisable,  moreover,  to  proceed 
by  degrees.  Instructors  should  first  of  all  learn 
to  make  assignments.  Let  at  least  one  month 
elapse  before  making  any  experiment  in  interac- 
tion of  groups,  which  means  socialization.    When 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  159 

the  pupils  are  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  new- 
plan  of  individual  work,  an  interaction  of  groups 
in  two  or  three  laboratories  where  the  teachers 
are  eager  and  expert  may  be  attempted.  Later 
on,  such  co-operation  can  be  extended  so  as  to  em- 
brace the  whole  school. 

In  the  beginning  there  will  probably  be  a  wide 
divergence  in  the  time  spent  by  each  individual  in 
the  completion  of  his  contract.  To  a  certain  ex- 
tent this  can  be  regulated  by  dividing  the  assign- 
ment into  minimum,  medium,  and  maximum,  as  I 
have  already  indicated  in  a  previous  chapter.  The 
Dalton  Plan,  when  put  into  operation,  will  grad- 
ually reveal  the  different  rates  of  speed  and  capac- 
ity of  the  different  pupils.  Regular  examina- 
tions are  usually  found  to  be  unnecessary  after  a 
time  for  the  generality  of  students.  I  have  found 
in  the  instance  of  younger  children  that  it  is  use- 
ful to  set  apart  fifteen  minutes  each  morning  to 
enable  pupils  to  collect  their  ideas  and  their  ma- 
terials before  settling  down  to  work,  and  also  to 
report,  say,  on  two  mornings  out  of  the  five  to 
their  class  or  house  adviser,  for  consultation  on 
the  use  of  time  to  be  distributed  to  eliminate  a  sub- 
ject difficulty.  The  matter  of  oral  lessons  must 
largely  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  each  instructor, 
and  to  her  knowledge  of  the  individual  pupils.  I 
would  like,  however,  to  impress  upon  all  instruc- 
tors the  necessity  of  abandoning  the  old  idea  of 
trying  to  keep  the  class  or  form  together.  It  is  a 
fallacy  which,  in  view  of  the  difference  of  speed 


160  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  ability  in  pupils,  has  never  been,  and  can 
never  be,  a  reality.  Five  pupils  can  no  more  be 
kept  together  than  forty,  and  the  sooner  teachers 
get  rid  of  this  illusion  which  haunts  the  minds  of 
some  of  them  the  better  it  will  be  for  the  school. 
Keeping  together  implies  coercion,  and  the  chief 
aim  of  the  Dalton  Plan  is  to  abolish  coercion  in 
any  shape.  It  envisages  as  much  the  liberation 
of  the  teacher  as  the  liberation  of  the  child. 

Under  it,  both  should  function  to  better  advan- 
tage. Her  more  intimate  observation  of  child 
nature  and  the  importation  of  pleasure  and  in- 
terest into  the  lives  and  work  of  the  children 
should  wield  an  immense  expansive  influence  upon 
the  personality  of  the  teacher.  She  will  no  longer 
be  engaged  in  thrusting  information  down  unwill- 
ing throats,  or  in  exacting  uninteresting  tasks 
from  apathetic  pupils.  From  being  the  pursuer 
the  teacher  becomes,  under  the  Dalton  Plan,  the 
pursued,  whose  advice  and  sympathy  is  sought 
and  valued.  And  this  change  of  relationship  is  re- 
flected not  only  in  the  success  and  happiress  of 
the  children,  but  also  in  the  success  and  happiness 
of  the  teacher. 

In  order  to  give  concrete  illustrations  of  this 
change  of  attitude  I  asked  seven  instructors  all  in 
the  same  school  to  state  frankly  their  opinion  on 
the  new  plan,  and  what  it  means  to  each  of  them. 
In  this  particular  school  the  plan  has  been  for  two 
years  in  operation,  and  none  of  the  teachers  had 
any  idea  of  writing  for  publication. 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  161 

The  history  man  wrote  as  follows : 

"When  I  came  to  teach  under  the  Dalton  Lab- 
oratory Plan  two  years  ago,  with  ten  years'  ex- 
perience in  the  regulation  schools  behind  me,  I  ap- 
proached my  new  problems  with  great  interest, 
but  not  without  some  wonder  and  doubt  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  new  plan.  I  went  into  it  with  eyes 
open,  eager  to  find  therein  a  better  means  of  train- 
ing the  child  and  making  him  a  better  citizen. 

"One  of  the  first  things  I  discovered  was  that 
under  the  Dalton  Plan  I  could  arouse  much  more 
interest  and  enthusiasm  for  history  in  the  chil- 
dren than  under  the  old  system.  This  was  because 
the  children  went  at  their  work,  seeing  beforehand 
the  whole  job  and  the  purpose  of  it  all.  The 
monthly  assignments  did  that.  I  can  still  remem- 
ber how  I  hated  history  when  I  was  at  school  my- 
self, how  I  loathed  the  thought  of  reading  "the 
next  seven  pages,' '  not  having  any  idea  what  I 
was  moving  towards !  Under  the  Dalton  Plan  the 
children  do  know  what  they  are  moving  towards, 
and  I  find  that  the  children,  without  exception,  are 
actively  interested  in  history.  Such  interest  on 
the  child's  part  begets  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of 
the  teacher  to  make  his  assignments  more  attrac- 
tive than  ever,  and  to  build  up  a  lasting  enthu- 
siasm for  the  subject. 

"The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  gives  a  teacher  a 
great  opportunity  to  know  the  child,  an  opportu- 
nity which  he  can  never  get  in  dealing  with  a  class, 
no  matter  how  much  he  tries.    Here  the  teacher  is 


162  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

more  the  big  brother  and  friend  than  he  is  a  pre- 
ceptor or  instructor.  He  deals  with  a  child  indi- 
vidually, and  so  gets  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  him.  The  teacher  is  merely  one  member  of 
the  social  circle,  and  the  child  goes  to  him  with 
problems  to  talk  over  just  as  one  person  in  a  com- 
munity goes  to  an  older  friend.  There  is  a  won- 
derful opportunity  for  the  teacher  in  this,  and 
also  a  wonderful  responsibility. 

"The  problem  of  discipline  is  greatly  simplified 
under  the  plan.  Where  the  child  is  impelled  to  his 
work  by  interest,  he  will  naturally  be  a  better 
citizen  in  his  school  than  where  he  is  trying  to 
'put  something  over*  on  his  arch  enemy,  the 
teacher.  Of  course,  in  the  beginning  there  is  some- 
times a  thoughtless  child  who  disturbs  and  upsets 
the  equilibrium  of  his  neighbours,  just  as  such  in- 
dividuals are  always  found  in  a  community. 
Pupils  of  this  sort  are  cared  for  and  put  in  their 
places  by  public  opinion  among  their  fellows. 
Disciplinary  action  by  the  teacher  becomes  rare. 

"The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  means  to  me  a 
blessed  relief  from  the  deadly  routine  of  the  class- 
room and  a  great  opportunity  to  study  individuals 
and  by  learning  their  needs  to  help  them  to  de- 
velop into  strong  characters  and  useful  citi- 
zens."   R.  W.  B.,  History  Instructor. 

The  geography  mistress  sent  this  statement: 
"If  I  were  asked  what  feature  of  the  Dalton  Lab- 
oratory Plan  appeals  to  me  most,  I  should  specify 
the    co-operative    relation    between    pupil    and 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  163 

teacher  which  develops  under  it.  Every  child  in 
my  department  now  appears  to  me  as  an  interest- 
ing and  sympathetic  person,  with  qualities  and  ca- 
pacities of  which,  in  many  cases,  I  should  hardly 
have  suspected  the  existence.  The  children,  on  the 
other  hand,  regard  the  teacher  as  a  friendly  ex- 
pert engaged  with  them  upon  a  highly  important 
piece  of  work. 

"The  denial  of  the  creative  impulse  of  the 
worker  in  the  interest  of  cheap  quantity  produc- 
tion, and  the  sharp  class  barriers  erected  between 
employer  and  employee  have  their  counterparts 
in  the  school  of  to-day.  The  adoption  of  the  Dal- 
ton  Plan,  after  a  period  of  academic  and  auto- 
cratic teaching,  might  almost  be  compared  to  a  re- 
turn to  the  Mediaeval  Guild  System  with  demo- 
cratic intercourse  between  master  and  apprentice, 
and  respect  for  work  as  the  corner-stone. 

"It  would  be  a  mistake,  however,  to  assume  that 
less  ground  is  covered  under  the  Dalton  Plan  than 
under  the  old  system.  The  reverse  is  generally 
the  case,  because  the  children  are  stimulated  by 
the  assumption  of  responsibility  to  greater  effort. 
The  plan  does  not  pretend  to  lend  itself  to  the 
hasty  covering  of  an  elaborate  curriculum,  nor  to 
the  acquisition  of  large  amounts  of  pre-digested 
intellectual  food."    L.  E. 

The  science  man  expresses  himself  as  follows : 
"In  working  under  the  Dalton  Plan  the  teacher 
finds  himself  confronted  with  an  experience  that 
is  both  new  and  pleasing.    He  finds  to  his  surprise 


164  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

that  the  majority  of  pupils  approach  their  work 
with  an  interest  and  enthusiasm  which,  under  the 
old  system,  was  confined  to  a  very  small  minority. 
The  teacher's  former  role  of  the  driver  who 
handed  out  bits  of  pre-digested  information  has 
changed.  He  now  becomes  the  true  helper  whose 
advice  is  sought  on  many  and  varied  problems 
which  are  very  real  to  the  children.  They  are  no 
longer  working  to  escape  his  criticism,  or  to  re- 
ceive his  plaudits,  but  rather  toward  the  accom- 
plishment of  a  definite  task.  Each  child  feels  that 
the  work  of  all  is  his  own  particular  task,  and  the 
teacher  becomes  his  councillor  who  will  help  him 
to  achieve  it.  This  spirit  of  enthusiasm  is  con- 
tagious, and  the  laggards  are  usually  carried 
along  with  it.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  first  impres- 
sion that  the  instructor  receives  who  works  for  the 
first  time  under  the  Dalton  Plan,  and,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  children,  his  enthusiasm  is  whetted  at 
the  start"    R.  D.  0. 

The  English  mistress  is  equally  appreciative : 

"1.  The  Dalton  Plan  offers  the  advantages  of 
individual  work.  It  leads  to  an  understanding  of 
the  child  and  an  appreciation  of  his  difficulties. 

"2.  A  feeling  of  sympathy  and  friendship  be- 
tween teacher  and  child  is  established.  The  child 
comes  to  consider  the  teacher  a  helper  and  friend, 
and  approaches  her  with  many  of  his  own  prob- 
lems. 

"3.  There  is  real  joy  in  working  with  spon- 
taneous children.    The  plan  creates  spontaneity. 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  165 


<«, 


'4.  The  work  is  stimulating.  Each  individual 
presents  his  work  in  a  different  way,  and  this  re- 
leases the  teacher  from  a  monotonous  and  set 
method  of  teaching. 

"5.  The  actual  writing  of  assignments  each 
month  tends  to  systematize  the  plan  of  work. 

"6.  The  teacher  has  an  opportunity  to  devote 
her  time  and  energy  to  teaching  because  the  prob- 
lem of  discipline  makes  itself  a  small  f actor.' ■ 
C.K. 

The  mathematics  mistress  reports : 

"From  the  Pupils'  Standpoint.  In  my  opinion 
the  pupil  is  the  one  who  derives  the  greatest  bene- 
fit from  the  Dalton  Plan,  and  rightly  so.  If  there 
was  ever  a  time  in  the  world's  history  when  we 
needed  people  who  could  think  and  act  inde- 
pendently, now  is  that  time.  Much  of  the  failure 
in  present-day  politics  is  due  to  the  fact  that  poli- 
ticians are  the  slaves  of  other  men's  opinions.  A 
pupil  who  works  on  the  Dalton  Plan  cannot  help 
doing  his  own  thinking.  He  must  rely  upon  his 
own  resources,  and  surely  that  is  what  is  expected 
of  him  in  after  life. 

"Many  people  can  do  certain  things  well,  but 
they  fail  lamentably  when  it  comes  to  fitting  those 
things  into  a  larger  scheme.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  system  of  monthly  assignments  gives  pupils  a 
big  outlook  on  their  work.  No  matter  how  well 
they  do  one  subject,  the  whole  task  is  not  satisfac- 
tory unless  all  the  parts  fit  in.  The  completed 
task  is  like  a  large  building  which  will  collapse  if 


166  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

one  girder  is  weak.  The  children  seem  to  realize 
that  each  subject  must  come  up  to  a  certain  stand- 
ard if  their  month's  work  is  to  be  a  success. 

"From  the  Teacher's  Standpoint.  I  feel  sure 
that  the  average  teacher  would  enjoy  her  work 
much  more  under  the  Dalton  Plan  than  under  the 
old  class  system.  She  can  be  free  and  at  ease  with- 
out losing  her  dignity.  It  is  a  great  relief  not  to 
feel  stilted  and  unnatural  towards  one's  pupils. 
Now  one  feels  like  an  older  friend  advising  a 
younger  one. 

' '  Much  of  the  failure  of  the  old  system  was  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  teacher  often  found  it  impos- 
sible to  locate  the  difficulties  of  the  different 
pupils.  A  pupil  cannot  work  even  one  day  on  the 
new  plan  before  the  teacher  has  found  out  some  of 
his  weaknesses.    This  simplifies  her  task. 

"A  really  good  teacher  only  tells  her  pupils 
what  they  cannot  find  out  for  themselves.  We  do 
not  remember  what  we  are  told,  but  we  do  re- 
member what  we  have  to  work  hard  to  get." 
C.  H.  P. 

After  a  year's  experience  of  the  Dalton  Plan  it 
was  extended  to  the  department  of  Art  and  Music, 
and  though  at  first  the  teachers  in  these  subjects 
had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  reorganizing  their 
work  on  the  new  plan,  they  became  as  enthu- 
siastic as  their  colleagues  when  its  beneficial  in- 
fluence became  apparent  in  better  work  and  a  finer 
spirit. 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  167 

I  give  here  the  comments  of  these  two  instruc- 
tors: 

The  art  mistress  says:  "I  like  the  atmosphere 
the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  creates  in  the  labora- 
tory. It  is  industrious,  the  children  having  come 
because  of  interest.  It  is  thoughtful,  the  children 
intent  on  working  out  for  themselves  their  prob- 
lems through  the  assignments,  asking  help  of  the 
teacher  only  when  a  point  needs  further  explana- 
tion. It  is  spontaneous,  the  children  being  able  to 
get  at  the  teacher  when  she  is  most  needed  at  the 
particular  time  of  their  interest.  It  is  quiet  and 
orderly,  inspiring  one  to  work. 

* '  Quite  frankly,  I  am  surprised  to  find  how  much 
I  enjoy  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan.  On  the  whole 
I  now  enjoy  the  laboratory  period  more  than  the 
class  time.  The  class  time  is  helpful  in  checking 
up  the  individuals  as  a  class  and  so  forth. 

"I  like  the  opportunity  the  Dalton  Laboratory 
Plan  gives  for  individual  work.  The  teacher  has 
more  freedom  so  that  she  can  help  a  child  as  long 
as  seems  necessary.  The  other  children,  having 
the  assignment  to  work  from,  will  not  be  losing 
time  while  she  is  thus  occupied. 

"The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  eliminates  re- 
peated directions,  for  the  directions  are  all  writ- 
ten out  clearly  in  the  assignment  and  the  slower 
children  can  re-read  them  as  many  times  as  neces- 
sary for  their  understanding  of  the  problem/ ' 
H.  T.  B. 


168  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

The  music  mistress  states:  "The  Dalton  Lab- 
oratory Plan  strikes  a  new  note  in  musical  educa- 
tion. It  gives  an  opportunity  for  individual  ex- 
pression which  was  not  possible  in  class  work. 

"Often  the  child's  apparent  lack  of  musical 
appreciation  is  due  to  a  command  which  he  is  not 
prepared  to  execute.  As  a  result  he  acts  through 
imitation.  Under  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  his 
own  experiments  and  experiences  in  music  make 
him  feel  that  music  is  a  part  of  himself. 

"Inaccuracies  are  more  apparent  and  irritating 
in  music  than  in  other  subjects.  Only  when  diffi- 
culties are  eliminated  through  individual  work  is 
a  child's  appreciation  extended,  or  is  he  able  to 
do  his  part  in  group  work,  i.e.,  in  the  singing  of 
part  songs,  in  the  orchestra,  and  so  on. 

"The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  permits  the 
teacher  to  work  with  the  children's  undiluted  in- 
terest. Personally  I  find  that  it  gives  me  a  feel- 
ing of  great  satisfaction.  There  is  a  thoroughness 
and  a  real  progress  without  the  interrupting  and 
ruinous  drill.  The  problems  of  discipline  are  elim- 
inated and  I  find  demonstrated  in  the  attitude  of 
the  children  as  they  work  in  the  laboratory  the 
real  harmony  for  which  one  always  aims. ' '    A.  D. 

In  order  to  complete  the  picture  I  quote  some 
opinions  gathered  from  pupils  of  eight  to  twelve 
years.  These  children  belonged  to  fourteen  differ- 
ent nationalities,  and  their  views  given  orally  and 
taken  down  by  a  stenographer  at  the  time  were 
quite  spontaneous. 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  169 

Question.  M  We  have  never  discussed  the  plan  of 
work  used  by  the  school  since  we  began  to  use 
it.  As  I  do  not  know  how  you  feel  about  the 
plan  I  would  appreciate  your  telling  me 
whether  you  like  it  or  not.  I  am  asking  for 
information. ' ' 

L ,  aged  12  years.    "In  this  school  a  person 

that  can't  work  as  quickly  as  others  in  a  par- 
ticular subject  takes  that  much  more 
time  for  that  subject  and  finishes  all  there  is 
to  be  done.  I  like  it  for  that  reason.  The 
record  cards  make  each  boy  and  girl  do  their 
work  quicker  because  they  can  see  just  how 
much  they  have  accomplished.  They  do  the 
work  better  because  they  all  want  to  finish 
their  assignments,  and  the  contract  cards  keep 
them  in  touch  with  each  other's  work.  In 
other  schools  if  you  are  sent  into  the  mathe- 
matics room  with  your  class  you  can't  change 
and  go  into  the  English  room  when  you're 
tired.  But  in  our  school,  if  you  have  been  do- 
ing mathematics  for  some  time  you  can 
change  and  go  into  some  other  room  for  a 
little  while  and  then  go  back  to  mathematics 
if  you  want  to.  In  other  schools  you  have  to 
work  every  minute,  and  if  you  try  to  stop  to 
rest  for  a  minute  they  make  you  go  on.  Here 
you  can  stop  and  rest  and  then  get  down  to 
harder  work  again.' ' 

ID ,  aged  10  years.  "If  you  are  doing  geog- 
raphy in  other  schools  you  take  an  awfully 
long  time  and  don't  finish,  and  then  you  have 
to  go  to  mathematics,  and  you  just  sit  there 
and  waste  time  because  you  have  done  the 


170  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

mathematics  already.  In  this  school  you  can 
take  the  time  saved  on  mathematics  and  put  it 
with  the  geography  time,  and  have  enough  time 
to  get  the  geography  finished  right.  If  you 
study  home  work  at  night  you  are  tired  in 
school,  and  if  you  are  made  to  work  you  don't 
do  it  well.  Here,  if  you  are  too  tired  to  work, 
you  just  sit  still  and  read,  and  then  pretty 
soon  you  feel  like  doing  it.  You  never  do 
things  well  that  you  are  made  to  do. " 

H ,  aged  9  years.  "When  you  don't  get  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  work  done  in  other  schools 
you  have  to  take  it  home  and  study  it,  and  that 
makes  you  awfully  tired.  Here  you  just  go  on 
with  it  the  next  day.  After  a  hard  day's  work 
at  school  you  don't  feel  like  studying  at  home. 
I  like  the  plan  because  each  one  has  ample 
time  to  do  his  work  in,  and  if  you  get  tired  of 
doing  one  thing  you  can  do  another  thing.  I 
like  the  work  better  than  I  do  in  other  schools. 
My  main  reason  is  that  when  you  are  absent 
you  can  begin  to  make  up  your  work  the  next 
day.  In  other  schools  they  may  give  you  50 
minutes  to  do  work,  and  it  doesn't  take  you 
all  that  time,  or  sometimes  they  give  you  too 
little.  You  have  to  have  just  enough  time  to ( 
be  suitable." 

G ,  aged  10  years.    "I  like  the  plan  because 

we  can  go  on  and  do  our  work  and  not  be  held 
back  by  children  who  are  slower,  and  also  be- 
cause we  can  work  hard  and  get  through 
quickly,  and  get  credit  for  the  work  we  do 
well." 

W ,  aged  11  years.    "In  some  schools  when 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  171 

you  go  into  arithmetic  yon  have  to  do  arith- 
metic for  half  an  hour,  and  you  have  to  do  so 
much  that  you  get  mixed  up.  Here,  when  you 
begin  to  get  tired  and  can't  make  your  mind 
work  right  on  one  thing,  you  can  go  into  an- 
other room  and  forget  all  about  the  first  thing, 
so  you  don't  get  muddled  up.  Later,  you  can 
do  the  first  thing. ' ' 

rA ,  aged  9  years.    "At  the  end  of  the  month, 

if  you  do  your  work  very  well,  you  are  re- 
warded by  your  own  satisfaction,  and  besides 
that,  you  may  be  put  in  a  higher  class." 

Question.  "Wouldn't  you  like  to  have  some 
other  reward  given  to  you — a  medal  or  a  book 
or  something  you  very  much  wanted?" 

Answer.  "No,  that's  not  necessary,  the  satisfac- 
tion is  enough.    I'd  rather  just  go  ahead. " 

Question.  "At  the  beginning  of  the  year  I  don't 
think  you  liked  the  plan  at  all,  and  you  did  not 
do  as  good  work.    What  was  the  trouble  V ' 

(This  question  was  unfair,  but  it  was  given 
as  a  challenge.) 

V ,  aged  9  years.    "We  were  so  glad  to  get 

into  a  school  where  we  could  be  let  alone  for  a 
little  while  that  we  took  a  vacation." 

E ,  aged  9  years.    "At  the  beginning  of  the 

year  everybody  was  thinking  more  about 
other  things  than  about  the  work." 

P ,  aged  10  years.    "We  did  not  understand 

how  to  work." 

G ,  aged  9  years.    "In  the  beginning,  we  were 

still  a  little  shy  because  we  did  not  know  the 
teachers  and  what  they  expected  of  us.    We 


172  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

hadn't  been  used  to  the  way  of  working  here, 
and  we  had  been  used  to  all  taking  the  same 
subject  at  once,  and  then  we  didn't  get  the 
same  attention." 

aged  9  years.     "At  the  beginning  they 


were  used  to  another  way,  and  it  took  them 
some  time  to  understand." 

Question.  "Do  you  feel  you  need  a  recess  in  the 
morning?"  (We  call  a  "break"  a  recess.) 
They  all  said  "No."  One  boy,  aged  10  years, 
explained,  "No,  we  take  a  recess  ourselves 
when  we  are  tired.  We  can  sit  down  and 
read." 

Question.  "You  have  told  all  the  nice  things, 
what  about  the  faults  of  the  plan?"  The 
children  said  they  had  no  fault  to  find  with  it. 
This  was  unanimous. 

One  boy  was  appointed  by  the  other  children  to 
come  to  me  afterwards.  I  was  at  tea  with  a  small 
group  of  people  when  the  child  came  in.  He  said : 
"I  beg  your  pardon,  may  I  speak  to  you?"  My 
reply  was:  "Certainly,  what  is  it?"  He  said, 
quietly:  "It  is  something  private.  May  we  step 
into  the  next  room?"  I  went  immediately.  Then 
he  proceeded:  "I  don't  want  to  be  rude,  Miss 
Parkhurst,  but  the  children  think  you  do  not  like 
the  plan.  They  like  it  very  much,  and  they  have 
sent  me  to  ask  you  why  you  don't  like  it?  Aren't 
you  going  to  get  behind  it  ?  "  (He  meant ' '  support 
it") 

I  assured  him  that  I  was  interested  and  would, 


TEACHING  AND  LEARNING  173 

to  the  best  of  my  ability, ' '  get  behind  the  plan. '  ■  I 
sincerely  appreciated  the  interest  shown  in  their 
challenge.  It  became,  from  that  moment,  more 
than  ever  theie  plan,  and  I  was  helped  to  a  better 
perspective. 

The  children  in  this  school  have  no  "home 
work,"  though  they  are  supplied  with  cultural 
reading  lists  as  a  guide  for  filling  unoccupied  time. 
Some  of  the  boys  entered  the  school  with  very 
poor  records,  one  or  two  having  been  in  four  dif- 
ferent schools  in  as  many  years.  When  their 
energy  was  harnessed  by  the  Dalton  Plan  to  a  real 
job,  the  majority  gave  an  excellent  account  of 
themselves,  and  even  the  slowest  child  got  through 
his  year's  assignment.  The  staff  agree  that  the 
children  have  become  more  simple,  straightfor- 
ward, and  enthusiastic,  and  free  from  emotional 
conflicts.  The  nervous  mannerisms  with  which  a/ 
few  were  afflicted  have  disappeared.  As  a  body 
they  are  mature,  but  not  in  the  least  sophisticated. 
They  have,  in  a  word,  found  themselves. 

In  conclusion,  there  is  one  point  which  I  want  to 
emphasize.  The  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan  must 
not  be  regarded  as  a  cast-iron  scheme.  I  offer  it 
as  a  first  step  towards  the  evolution  of  a  scheme  of 
education  which  will  develop  the  creative  faculty 
in  both  teachers  and  pupils.  I  have  been  animated 
in  elaborating  it  by  a  desire  to  remedy  some  of  the 
ills  our  schools  are  heirs  to,  and  especially  the 
worst  of  these,  which  is,  I  believe,  the  absence  of 
opportunity  for  the  learner  to  learn.    Teachers 


174  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

go  to  training  colleges  to  acquire  the  art  of  teach- 
ing before  they  practise  it,  so  pupils  should  be 
given  the  chance  to  acquire  the  art  of  study  before 
they  can  be  expected  to  learn.  I  am  content  that 
the  Dalton  Plan,  which  I  have  not  even  sought  to 
brand  with  my  name,  should  be  judged  by  its  fruits. 
Those  fruits  have  already,  on  the  testimony  of 
numerous  teachers  and  pupils,  changed  for  the  bet- 
ter the  mental  and  spiritual  life  of  the  schools  to 
which  the  plan  has  been  applied.  This  testimony 
gives  me  faith  that  the  benefits  there  reaped  will  be 
ultimately  carried  into  the  social  and  politic  life  of 
the  world.  I  do  not  claim  to  have  perfected  my  plan. 
Many  minds  must  concentrate  and  co-operate  upon 
it  if  it  is  to  be  a  living  and  vital  thing.  If  it  stimu- 
lates sufficient  interest  to  attract  the  finest 
energies  of  the  educational  profession  to  the  task, 
I  shall  be  amply  rewarded  for  my  part  of  the  great 
work. 


CHAPTER  IX 

A  Year's  Experiment  in  an  English  Secondary 
School* 

By  Rosa  Bassett,  M.B.E.,  M.A.,  Head  Mistress 
Streatham  County  Secondary  School 

The  article  in  the  Times  Educational  Supplement 
of  May  27th,  1920,  set  many  people  thinking.  The 
Dalton  Plan  seemed  so  simple  in  its  conception,  so 
far-reaching  in  its  possibilities,  that  one  wondered 
why  it  had  never  been  thought  of  before. 

We,  although  a  large  school  now  of  over  700 
girls,  decided  to  try  the  experiment  as  soon  as  we 
could.  Thanks  to  the  broad  views  of  the  Board  of 
Education  and  of  the  London  County  Council  we 
have  been  able  to  test  it  for  over  a  year,  with  the 
result  that  we  feel  it  enlists,  more  than  any  other 
plan  does,  the  co-operation  of  the  pupil  in  her  edu- 
cation. It  has  undoubtedly  made  her  study  more 
than  before,  though  its  effects  may  not  be  at  once 
apparent,  for  naturally  the  ordinary  testing  de- 
vices cannot  gauge  the  growth  of  the  child's  under- 
standing. We  are,  in  fact,  but  slowly  finding  out 
how  to  test  intelligence. 

*  Reprinted  by  kind  permission  of  the  Times. 
175 


176  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

The  plan  seems  quite  simple  in  America  because 
there  pupils  in  a  High  School  rarely  carry  more 
than  six  major  subjects.  In  an  English  school 
most  students  carry  nine  or  ten,  but  the  plan  is 
carried  out  better  in  an  English  Public  School  be- 
cause we  have  more  freedom  here.  It  is  carried 
out  better,  too,  in  an  English  school  because  the 
teachers  are  better  trained  and  better  qualified 
and  have  more  freedom  and  leisure  than  in  an 
American  High  School.  Of  course,  the  plan  suc- 
ceeds only  when  the  staff  is  capable  and  keen  as 
well  as  qualified  and  trained.  It  is  due  to  the 
hearty  co-operation  of  the  staff  here  that  we  have 
been  able  to  undertake  it  at  all. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  month  every  girl  re- 
ceives a  syllabus  of  work  to  be  done  in  each  sub- 
ject. One  lesson  at  least  is  given  in  each  subject 
during  the  week,  the  subject  matter  to  be  taken  in 
these  lessons  being  usually  indicated  in  the  sylla- 
bus. 

The  whole  of  Tuesday  morning  and  part  of 
three  afternoons  are  devoted  to  class  lessons. 
There  is  a  fixed  time-table  for  these  occasions.  In 
addition  to  this,  the  third  forms  have  lessons  on 
Thursday  morning:  thus  the  greater  part  of  the 
school  have  all  Monday,  Wednesday,  and  Thurs- 
day mornings  for  free  study.  There  is  group  work 
on  Friday  mornings.  Each  mistress  announces 
beforehand  the  topics  to  be  dealt  with;  she  may 
perhaps  summon  some  individuals  to  attend,  but 
in  the  main  attendance  is  voluntary. 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  177 

Subjects  are,  as  far  as  possible,  studied  in  sub- 
ject rooms,  where  the  subject  mistress  may  be  con- 
sulted. Each  girl  is  expected  to  see  the  mistress 
at  least  once  a  week  on  an  average,  apart  from  set 
lessons.  She  may,  of  course,  stay  the  whole  ses- 
sion in  one  room  if  she  wishes.  The  mistress  is  al- 
ways there  to  advise  her,  or  to  correct  her  work. 
There  are  subject  libraries  in  the  subject  rooms. 

Every  girl  must  be  present  at  the  set  lessons, 
but  apart  from  this  she  may  arrange  her  working 
time  at  school  and  at  home  as  she  pleases.  Her 
free  time  at  school  is  34  periods  of  40  minutes 
each,  minus  set  lesson  periods;  her  home  work 
periods  should  not  be  more  than  from  5  to  15  in  a 
week,  according  to  her  position  in  the  school.  She 
is  responsible  for  giving  the  right  proportion  of 
time  during  the  month  to  all  the  subjects  in  her 
Curriculum,  and  she  indicates  on  the  charts  in  the 
subject  rooms  the  time  she  has  given  and  the 
amount  of  work  she  has  done. 

A  girl  must  satisfy  the  subject  mistress  before 
she  begins  the  next  syllabus-  This  may  be  estab- 
lished by  test,  or  by  any  method  that  the  mistress 
finds  most  suitable  for  the  girl. 

Assignments. 

Assignments  are  given  in  three  parts  in  each 
subject. 

1.  Lower.  This  should  be  within  the  range 
of  the  slowest  girl  in  the  class,  and  must  be 
done  by  all. 


178 


THE  DALTON  PLAN 


2.  Middle.     Gives  opportunity  for  wider 
reading  and  deeper  thought. 

3.  Higher.    Encourages  the  brilliant  girl 
to  study  as  far  as  she  can  go. 

Middle  and  Higher  pupils  do  not  encroach  on 
the  next  month's  assignment.  Girls  choose  grades 
for  themselves ;  sometimes  the  weakest  have  to  be 
advised  not  to  attempt  too  much. 
Apportionment  op  Periods  (subjects  and  forms). 

The  first  column  gives  total  periods  that  should 
be  spent  weekly  (lessons  and  study  at  home  and  in 
echool).  The  second  column  gives  number  of  class 
lessons.  Optional  subjects  are  shown  by  an 
asterisk. 

Forms: 


Total 
Lessons. 


Total 
Lessons. 


Total 

Lessons. 


Total 
Lessons. 


Total 

Lessons. 


Scripture 

English 

History 

Geography 

French 

2nd  Foreign 

Language 

Arithmetic 

Mathematics 

Science 

Drawing 

Needlework 

Cooking 

Singing 

Gym.  and  Games 


1  1 

5  2 
3  1 
3  1 

6  4 


6    3 


1  1 

6  2 

6  2 

6  2 

6  3* 


1  1 

6  2 

6  2 

6  2 


1  1 

6  1 

6  1 

6  1 

6  2 


3     1 


2  2 

3  3 


3     1 


1  1 

2  2 


3    1 


3    1 

or 
3     1 

1  1 

2  2 


2 

2 

1 

plus 

2* 


1  1 

2  2 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  179 

History  and  geography  are  taken  in  alternate 
years  by  the  third  and  fonrth  forms,  and  for  half 
the  year  each  in  the  lower  fifth  form.  In  the  upper 
fifth  pupils  may  take  either  subject,  or  both. 

A  teacher  does  not  necessarily  give  a  lesson  in 
the  class  lesson  period.  She  may  merely  give  an 
explanation  or  direction  and  allow  the  class  to 
study  during  the  rest  of  the  period. 

Ideally,  all  work  should  be  carried  on  in  the  sub- 
ject rooms ;  in  reality,  with  us,  a  certain  amount  of 
work  has  to  be  carried  on  in  the  Hall.  Although 
every  mistress  has  outside  her  door  a  table  show- 
ing on  what  days,  or  parts  of  days,  the  room  is 
open  to  certain  forms  or  open  to  all,  it  sometimes 
happens  that  a  child  starts  out  with  books  for  two 
or  three  subjects  in  her  arms  and  finds  each  of 
those  subject  rooms  crowded.  In  that  case  she  has 
to  work  in  the  Hall.  Both  in  subject  rooms  and  in 
the  Hall  girls  are  allowed  to  work  quietly  together. 
This  is  another  reason  for  the  gradual  lessening 
of  subject  antipathies. 

Our  School  "Parliament"  voices  from  time  to 
time  protests  against  overcrowded  rooms  and  the 
selfishness  of  individuals  who  borrow  reference 
books  from  the  libraries  and  leave  them  at  home. 

We  have  learnt  much  from  the  children.  We 
occasionally  invite  their  comments,  and  when  we 
do  these  are  candidly  and  generously  given.  We 
have  frequently  followed  the  children's  sugges- 
tions and  amended  our  plans  to  the  advantage  of 
both  school  and  staff. 


180  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

The  following  is  a  typical  set  of  questions  given 
to  the  school  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  work 
under  the  Dalton  Plan : 

1.  Does  this  system  alter  your  outlook  in  regard 
to  books  and  reading? 

2.  In  which  subject  or  subjects  have  you  im- 
proved? 

3.  In  which  subject  do  you  consider  you  have  not 
gained? 

4.  Do  you  agree  with  girls  working  together? 
Does  it  benefit  them? 

5.  What  are  the  advantages  of  this  system? 

6.  How  would  you  improve  it? 

7.  What  are  the  disadvantages? 

The  answers  were  scribbled  down  rapidly  by  the 
pupils  gathered  together  for  the  purpose  in  the 
school  hall,  and  were  handed  in  anonymously, 
marked  only  with  the  pupils '  age,  before  the  meet- 
ing dispersed.  There  are  over  700  girls  in  the 
school,  but  we  need  consider  only  six  answers 
which,  by  their  frankness  or  naivete,  throw  light 
on  the  spontaneous  reaction  of  the  pupils  to  their 
environment. 

1.  "It  has  made  me  more  fond  of  books,  and  it 
has  improved  my  reading.  It  has  also  taught 
me  to  express  myself  better  in  essays. " 
"Books  interest  me  more  now,  for  one  thing, 
if  I  get  through  my  syllabus  quickly  I  have 
more  time  to  read. ' ' 
"I  think  that  this  has  made  me  read  more 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  181 

books,  because  I  look  up  things  and  then  read 
the  whole  book. ' ' 

"I  prefer  the  widened  library.  Reading  has 
helped  me  a  lot.  I  like  the  new  and  more 
interesting  books  we  now  have  in  the  library 
(e.g.,  New  Liberty)  better  than  old  books  of 
plain  facts,  etc." 

"Under  the  old  scheme  I  should  have  depended 
on  hearing  what  a  mistress  would  tell  me  and 
looked  up  any  books ;  now  I  look  up  as  many 
books  as  possible." 

"I  take  more  interest  in  the  books  I  am  read- 
ing now  because  there  is  a  variety,  and  we  do 
not  now  have  just  to  read  from  one  or  two 
books  during  the  term.  For  History,  instead 
of  the  whole  class  getting  the  same  idea  on  a 
subject,  everyone  tackles  the  subject  from  a 
different  point  of  view." 

2.  The  majority  of  girls  seem  to  think  they  have 
improved  in  History,  Geography,  and  English, 
a  good  many  state  that  their  Mathematics 
and  Science  are  both  better  under  this  system. 

3.  In  Modern  Languages  girls  feel  that  their  pro- 
nunciation may  have  suffered.  The  type  of 
girl  who  complains  that  she  has  to  rely  on  her 
own  brains  now  instead  of  on  the  mistress* 
thinks  that  many  subjects  suffer. 

4.  In  the  answers  to  this  question  opinion  is  di- 
vided. There  is  no  doubt  girls  like  working 
together  if  they  are  fairly  even,  and  a  weak 
girl  likes  to  have  help  from  a  stronger  one,  but 
many  state  that  the  weak  rely  too  much  upon 
the  strong. 

"In  most  cases  I  think  the  strong  girl  does 


182  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

the  work  while  the  weak  girl  thinks  she  under- 
stands and  takes  it  for  her  own.  She  would 
learn  more  if  she  worked  alone." 
"  Girls  have  a  chance  to  help  one  an- 
other .  .  .  what  some  girls  don't  know, 
others  do  know. ' ' 

"We  learn  more,  for  now  we  have  our  own 
thoughts  and  another  girl's  thoughts." 
"It  enables  you  to  be  more  friendly  towards 
one  another." 

"Girls  have  become,  on  the  whole,  more 
kindly  disposed  to  one  another,  not  so  many 
cliques  are  formed;  more  co-operation.' ' 
* '  The  strong  girl  gets  time  to  help  the  weak. ' ' 
5.  ■ '  Girls  who  work  quickly  are  not  held  back  by 
the  slower  girls." 

"Those  girls  who  are  quicker  can  get  on  in 
front  of  others  without  waiting  for  them. ' ' 
"If  a  girl  is  behind  in  a  subject  the  form  does 
not  wait  for  the  girl,  but  goes  on. ' ' 
"The  better  girls  do  not  have  to  wait  for  the 
slower  ones  to  catch  up,  and  hear  the  same 
things  explained  many  times  when  they  under- 
stand it." 

"I  have  more  time  and  get  more  work  done." 
* '  I  need  never  pass  over  a  thing  which  I  do  not 
understand." 

1 '  Those  girls  who  are  not  so  quick  can  get  help 
from  the  mistresses,  and  so  get  along  quicker 
than  they  did  before. " 

"The  slower  girls  can  ask  help  many  times 
without  feeling  the  class  is  going  too  quickly 
for  them." 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  183 

"You  can  take  as  long  as  you  like  on  a  sub- 
ject" 

"You  do  not  have  to  do  a  thing  at  once,  you 
can  think  it  over  and  leave  it  for  another 
day." 

"The  advantages  cover  a  wide  field.  Apart 
from  the  wider  reading,  girls  appreciate  the 
advantage  to  the  individual  and  the  benefit  to 
the  work  itself." 

"There  is  no  need  to  keep  changing  the  sub- 
ject." 

"When  the  bell  rings  you  do  not  have  to  leave 
off  in  the  middle  of  a  piece  of  work  and  be  ob- 
liged to  go  on  to  another  lesson." 
"Under  the  old  system  we  often  had  to  break 
off  in  the  middle  of  something  on  Monday  and 
wait  until  Wednesday  to  finish  it/ ' 
"You  learn  to  be  absorbed  in  your  work." 

And  the  natural  corollary  follows : 

"We  learn  to  work  more  thoroughly  and  not 

to   be   slack   as    sometimes   you   can  be   in 

class." 

"I  can  get  more  work  done  in  school  and  much 

less  at  home." 

"The  knowledge  gained  is  not  so  stodgy." 

"We  learn  to  work  properly  and  diligently, 

and  it  is  not  so  dull  as  having  a  dry  lesson." 
Many  girls  note  a  change  in  the  moral  atmos- 
phere of  the  school,  and  the  setting  in  of  a  far 
more  fundamental  discipline : 

"There  is  much  more  responsibility  for  us  in 

this  system." 

"When  I  am  not  under  a  mistress's  eye  I 


184  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

think  I  can  work  better,  because  it  gives  me 
an  idea  that  I  am  trusted  to  work,  and  so  I 
do." 

"It  helps  you  to  learn  to  be  quiet  when  a  mis- 
tress is  not  there  to  keep  you  quiet." 
"The  advantages  of  this  system  are  that  it 
makes  girls  feel  that  they  are  reliable." 
"We  learn  what  the  word  'trust'  means." 

Others  note  the  tonic  effect  of  the  system  upon 
themselves : 

"You  learn  to  think  for  yourself,  and  not  to 
depend  on  a  mistress." 

"The  system  helps  you  not  to  lean  on  a  mis- 
tress." 

"It  teaches  you  how  to  teach  yourself." 
"I  used  to  rely  on  the  mistresses  and  do 
scarcely  any  reading,  but  now  I  rely  on  them 
less  and  read  much  more." 
"I  have  studied  more  books  than  I  should 
have  done  under  the  old  scheme,  when  I  should 
have  depended  on  hearing  what  mistresses 
would  tell  me,  and  should  not  have  looked  up 
any  books;  now  I  look  up  as  many  books  as 
possible. ' ' 

* '  I  have  found  often  under  the  old  scheme  that 
I  cannot  work  out  a  sum  or  a  theorem  or  write 
an  essay  from  sheer  tiredness  of  the  subject. 
It  is  at  these  times  you  feel  how  much  more 
pleasant  your  own  time-table  would  be." 

6.  One  poor  child  who  evidently  dislikes  both 
work  and  responsibility  would  improve  the  plan 
by  abolishing  the  whole  thing : 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  185 

"I  would  do  away  with  the  whole  system. 
Nearly  all  of  it.  Why  should  we  as  Britons 
copy  Americans,  why  not  use  ideas  of  our 
own?  Our  temperament  is  not  suited  to  so 
much  work,  as  we  have  not  been  brought  up  to 
it  from  childhood,  as  have  the  Americans. ' ' 

Many  would  improve  by  abolishing  tests  or  giv- 
ing different  kind  of  test : 

"For  instance,  in  History  I  should  prefer  a 
question  such  as,  'Say  all  you  can  about  the 
Indian  Mutiny,  its  causes,  the  results  on  India, 
and  on  government  in  England  and  India. ' ' 
"In  History  we  had,  'How  was  the  coloniza- 
tion of  Australia  a  result  of  the  revolt  of 
Canada! ■  For  the  growth  of  the  British  Em- 
pire I  had  taken  each  part  separately,  and 
learnt  how  they  became  parts  of  the  British 
Empire.  I  did  not  make  any  relation  between 
them.  If  the  question  had  been,  'How  did  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  British  Empire  come  under 
British  rule?'  I  could  have  answered  that 
better,  and  would  have  shown  that  I  knew 
more  about  the  growth  of  the  British  Empire 
than  the  former  question  would  lead  one  to  be- 
lieve." 

Others  would  have  periods  for  silent  work; 
many  ask  for  more  books  and  for  less  crowded 
rooms. 

7.  The  disadvantages  given  are  often  at  oppo- 
site points  of  the  compass.  Some  would  have 
more  lessons,  some  would  have  fewer : 


186  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

"It  takes  longer  to  gather  from  books  that 
which  can  be  gathered  from  mistresses. " 
"One  of  the  disadvantages  is  that  a  girl  is 
tempted  to  leave  the  subjects  she  dislikes  and 
to  work  only  at  those  she  is  fond  of.  This  was 
avoided  when  we  had  to  attend  three  or  four 
lessons  in  a  subject  in  a  week." 
"For  girls  who  cannot  concentrate  it  is  far 
more  difficult  to  get  information  from  a  book 
than  from  someone  who  can  make  the  subject 
interesting  and  give  information  away  from 
the  dry  facts." 

"In  learning  from  books  many  people  cannot 
pick  out  the  most  important  facts,  but  make 
twice  as  much  work  by  learning  trivial  points 
of  no  real  value." 

It  would  be  folly  to  imagine  that  even  so  fine 
a  conception  as  the  Dalton  Plan  finds  in  any  Eng- 
lish school  universal  and  welcome  acceptance, 
either  from  staff  or  scholars.  The  more  conserva- 
tive teachers  naturally,  at  first,  look  askance  at  an 
untried  scheme,  fearing  that  their  authority  will 
be  set  at  naught  and  their  years  of  accumulated 
knowledge  and  facility  in  teaching  will  become  of 
little  value.  But  no  scheme  would  be  worth  con- 
sideration if  it  did  not  recognize  that  the  teacher 
cannot  abrogate  her  authority  and  responsibility, 
and  must  not  waste  her  experience  and  knowledge. 
The  Dalton  Plan  creates  so  intimate  a  bond  be- 
tween pupil  and  teacher  that  the  latter  becomes 
less  of  an  autocrat  and  more  of  a  guide.  Our 
stores  of  knowledge  are  open  to  all  who  wish  to 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  187 

enter.  "If  thou  seest  a  man  of  understanding  get 
thee  betimes  unto  him,  and  let  thy  foot  near  the 
steps  of  his  door,"  said  the  writer  of  Ecclesiasti- 
cus.  With  more  freedom  in  the  school  this  becomes 
possible  now. 

Young,  untrained  teachers  are,  moreover,  often 
unable  to  grasp,  in  all  its  bearings,  a  change  so 
new  to  their  experience.  Their  sole  stock-in-trade 
is  their  university  career  and  their  remembrance 
of  how  they  were  taught  at  school.  The  lymphatic 
teacher  again  is  apt  to  sit  down  under  the  scheme. 
She,  the  pupils,  and  the  plan  are  three  points  with 
no  connection,  and  she  sometimes  needs  more 
supervision  than  do  the  pupils,  for  the  feeble,  un- 
inspired teacher  produces  followers  equally  feeble 
and  uninspired.  But  the  person  with  faith,  ex- 
perience, who  possesses  knowledge  of,  and  love 
for,  the  child,  brings  forth  fruit  a  hundredfold. 
The  delight  of  the  Dalton  Plan  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  is  capable  of  many  interpretations  and  exten- 
sions. The  principles  of  freedom  and  initiative 
belong  to  the  director  as  well  as  to  the  pupil. 

On  the  whole,  it  is  these  people  who  have  seen 
little  or  nothing  of  the  workings  of  the  plan  who 
are  most  fertile  in  criticism  which  may  range 
from  strain  on  pupils  and  staff  to  the  size  of  desks 
that  fit  the  varying  occupants,  or  to  the  length  of 
a  vertical  line  in  marking  a  graph.  The  question 
of  strain  on  pupils  falls  under  two  heads:  eye 
etrain  and  nerve  strain.  There  are  those  who  fear 
that  pupils  will  suffer  from  reading  during  too 


188  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

long  a  period.  But  in  reality  this  rarely  happens, 
for  normal  boys  and  girls  do  not  work  to  fatigue 
point;  they  stop  reading  in  order  to  discuss,  or 
they  change  their  subject. 

The  question  of  worrying  about  work  and  over 
responsibility  is,  however,  a  serious  consideration 
in  any  school ;  if  teachers  are  not  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  all-round  development,  physical  as 
well  as  mental  and  moral,  of  their  pupils,  this  can 
arise  in  any  system.  But  under  the  Dalton  Plan, 
where  the  teacher  is  so  much  more  closely  in  touch 
with  the  pupil,  the  possibility  of  worrying  over  re- 
sponsibility is  lessened.  The  child  who  shudders 
at  responsibility  is  just  the  person  who  needs  a 
sympathetic  initiation  into  self-reliance.  Under  a 
sympathetic  teacher  she  gets  this  opportunity. 
Each  child  is  considered  as  an  individual;  her 
work  and  its  results  are  shaped  to  her  needs. 
Under  any  system  the  heedless  child  who  neglects 
her  work  may  get  worried  and  flustered  at  the  end 
of  the  term.  Now  we  find  fewer  who  neglect  their 
work  and  fewer  who  are  worried  over  it. 

Any  plan  at  its  initiation  entails  more  thought 
and  more  conferences  on  the  part  of  the  staff. 
Thought  runs  in  a  new  direction.  No  longer  does 
one  think  how  to  bring  the  matter,  the  informa- 
tion, to  the  child,  but  how  to  lead  the  child  to  find 
it  out  for  himself.  One  thinks  how  to  arouse  and 
maintain  that  interest  in  dealing  with  a  subject,  so 
that  work  becomes  a  "breath  and  finer  spirit.' ' 
Naturally,  when  after  much  effort  the  early  sylla- 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  189 

buses  showed  inperfections,  and  pupils  did  not  do- 
what  they  expected  to  do,  a  little  feeling  of  disap- 
pointment may  have  made  one  feel  that  the  work 
was  heavier  than  before.  But  as  months  went  on, 
efforts  and  thought  produced  so  much  more  re- 
munerative work  from  pupils  that  this  strain  was 
lessened.  Some  people  seem  to  think  that  in  the 
laboratory  periods  teachers  sit  and  watch  children 
work ;  others  picture  a  queue  of  pupils  each  asking 
the  same  question,  and  the  teacher  wearied  out 
with  giving  the  same  reply.  But  the  truth  is  that 
the  teacher  lives,  still  has  common  sense,  still 
guides  and  suggests,  amends  and  reforms  plans  of 
earlier  days. 

Maybe  the  super-specialist  laments  the  possible 
disappearance  of  the  inspirational  lecture.  When 
one  remembers  speeches  and  sermons  and  lessons 
that  were  a  joy  and  an  inspiration,  one  realizes 
how  much  the  value  depended  upon  the  stirring  of 
the  emotions,  and  how  that  value  was  increased  by 
discussion  or  reading  afterwards.  The  influence 
of  a  teacher  upon  her  class  is  not  at  its  greatest 
height  during  a  lesson  no  matter  how  inspira- 
tional the  lesson  may  be.  The  brilliant  child  ad- 
mires the  fine  lesson  and  values  the  teacher  for 
that.  The  average  child  is  moved  by  it;  the 
slower  child  may  be  awed  by  it.  But  for  actual 
remunerative  effort  a  few  words  spoken  to  a  be- 
wildered child,  putting  her  at  ease  with  her  dif- 
ficulty, and  giving  her  guidance  for  the  future, 
may  be  more  potent  than  the  finest  class  lesson.   It 


190  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

is  doubtful  whether  any  teacher  could  give  more 
than  one  really  inspiring  lesson  a  week  to  every 
form.  We  may  give  several  lessons  weekly  that 
satisfy  us;  they  do  not  necessarily  inspire  the 
class.  Under  the  Dalton  Plan  the  lesson  that  in- 
spires still  has  its  place,  particularly  when  a  new 
subject,  or  a  new  stage  of  a  subject,  or  a  great 
topic  is  in  consideration.  The  following  up  of  the 
forces  set  in  motion  by  such  a  lesson  is  now  pos- 
sible with  individual  work. 

There  are  still  others  who  have  a  vision  of  a 
jaded  staff  burning  the  midnight  oil  over  correc- 
tions. The  group  work  should  tend  to  lessen  the 
amount  to  be  corrected.  Group  discussion  and 
inter-group  discussion  may  well  take  the  part  of 
the  written  exercise.  What  is  important  for  every 
teacher  to  remember  is  that  freshness  and  vigour, 
both  of  mind  and  body,  are  more  advantageous  to 
the  pupil  than  a  series  of  thoroughly  corrected 
exercises  which  rarely  repay  the  time  so  spent 
even  if  they  are  things  that  can  be  displayed  when 
occasion  arises. 

The  proportion  of  set  lessons  to  free  study 
period  varies  according  to  the  needs  of  a  particu- 
lar form  or  the  needs  of  a  particular  subject  at  a 
particular  time.  The  abolition  of  such  lessons  is 
not  an  essential  part  of  the  plan,  and  where  the 
number  of  pupils  to  a  teacher  is  large  this  is  prac- 
tically an  impossibility. 

Many  critics  of  the  Dalton  Plan  fear  it  may 
bring  a  lessening  of  form  spirit,  or  corporate  life. 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  191 

If  class  lessons  were  the  only  essential  in  the 
growth  of  form  spirit  every  class  in  every  school 
in  England  would  be  a  strong  corporate  body. 
When  the  atmosphere  of  the  school  and  the  spirit 
of  the  staff  are  good,  corporate  feeling  will  grow 
under  any  system.  The  consideration  by  the 
teacher  of  each  child  as  an  individual  does  not 
mean  that  children  pass  through  school  as  sepa- 
rate units.  Groups  feel  pride  in  group  achieve- 
ment, forms  feel  pride  in  form  achievement, 
whether  in  work  or  in  games.  Corporate  life  is 
almost  wholly  a  social  development.  Class  lessons 
and  mark  sheets  will  not  make  a  form  a  living 
body. 

There  is  also  a  feeling  that  shirkers  may  lead  a 
too  happy  life  under  the  new  plan.  Of  course,  the 
teacher  must  keep  this  danger  in  mind.  It  can 
usually  be  arrested  by  suggesting  better  work  to 
them,  and  when  suggestion  fails,  she  can  keep 
them  steadily  at  work  by  an  individual  time-table 
till  they  are  fit  to  enjoy  the  liberty  of  the  plan. 
But  as  one  progresses  in  making  syllabuses  which 
must  focus  the  child's  view-point,  interest  becomes 
a  great  incentive  and  shirkers  become  few. 

Another  evil  which  specialists  dread  is  that 
pupils  will  work  too  vigorously  at  their  favourite 
subjects  and  shun  their  difficult  ones.  They  fear, 
too,  that  pupils  will  flock  to  the  room  of  the 
favourite  teacher  and  avoid  others.  Naturally, 
the  pupil  tends  to  go  where  she  is  warmly  wel- 
comed, encouraged,  and  helped,  and  tends  to  avoid 


192  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

the  person  who  greets  her  with  a  reproof.  Where 
any  feeling  of  animosity  exists  it  will  lessen  the 
amount  of  joy  and  vigour  and  success  in  work. 
But  if  all  specialist  teachers  interest  themselves  in 
the  pupils'  all-around  progress  more  than  in  any 
special  subject,  no  animosity  will  arise.  All 
teachers  should  realize  that  children  want  to  learn, 
and  that  every  means  of  helping  them  to  fulfil  that 
want  should  be  employed,  even  at  the  price  of 
ceasing  to  be  censorious  and  of  becoming  a  guide 
and  a  friend.  The  real  discipline  which  a  child  de- 
velops by  joyously  and  steadily  pursuing  a  course 
is  far  better  for  her  character  than  the  feeling  of 
shame  or  resentment  aroused  by  reproof,  even 
though  resentment  were  followed  by  good  work. 
The  curious  thing  is  that  when  children  have  a 
choice  of  subject  and  of  time,  and  when  they  be- 
gin to  exercise  judgment,  they  discriminate  be- 
tween the  popular  teacher  and  the  teacher  who 
helps.  To  their  credit,  be  it  said,  they  go  where 
knowledge  is.  It  is  well  for  a  child  to  have  an  ab- 
sorbing interest  in  a  subject,  and  if  one  appre- 
ciates this  at  its  proper  worth,  interest  spreads 
from  one  to  the  other  subjects.  Even  if  it  were 
not  so,  it  would  still  be  better  for  a  child  to  leave 
school  with  this  one  interest  than  with  a  carefully 
calculated  and  evenly  spread  amount  of  general 
information.  The  class  advisor  and  the  pupil's 
graph  card  help  to  keep  a  fairly  all-round  state 
of  progress  though,  of  course,  some  will  always 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  193 

work  the  minimum  at  certain  subjects  and  the 
highest  in  others. 

Accuracy  and  neatness  are  the  next  points 
assailed.  Any  good  teacher  knows  where  accuracy 
is  essential,  where  neatness  is  essential,  and  will 
not  let  the  child  ruin  otherwise  good  efforts  by 
failure  in  these  directions.  Children  appreciate 
tests  for  accuracy;  they  see  their  worth.  They 
like  to  give  up  a  neatly-written  paper  well-ex- 
pressed and  well-spelt,  though  their  rough  notes 
may  be  abominable.  A  child  gives  full  expression 
to  her  ideas  in  discussion  or  in  writing  rough 
notes,  but  ideas  can  often  be  hampered  by  too 
great  insistence  upon  writing  and  neatness. 

Oral  work  and  speech  training  loom  largely  in 
the  eyes  of  other  critics.  In  class  work  the  articu- 
late pupils  speak  during  most  of  the  time  while 
the  inarticulate  listen,  or  dream,  or  stammer  forth 
a  few  words.  Their  ideas  have  no  flow  because 
they  are  so  conscious  of  the  criticism  of  their  fel- 
lows and  of  their  teachers  that  they  are  loath  to 
take  up  the  time  of  the  class.  Under  the  Dalton 
Plan  a  self-conscious  child  has  a  greater  chance. 
She  is  in  closer  contact  with  the  teacher;  she 
realizes  that  she  is  not  taking  up  the  time  of  the 
class  in  her  efforts  to  express  herself.  Moreover, 
when  dealing  with  her  as  an  individual,  the 
■teacher  can  find  some  point  of  interest,  perhaps 
very  remotely  connected  with  the  subject  in  hand, 
but  one  capable  of  unlocking  the  child's  mind  and 
of  enabling  her  to  give  expression  freely  to  some- 


194  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

thing  which  interests  her.  When  once  aroused  in 
this  way,  a  child  grows  more  and  more  awake  to 
other  points  of  view  and  becomes  no  longer  the 
tongue-tied  laggard  of  the  class.  Correction  of 
speech  defects  is  received  in  a  far  more  kindly 
spirit  when  the  child  is  by  the  teacher's  side,  and 
possibilities  for  correction  are  more  frequent. 
Now  oral  composition  has  become  a  valuable  exer- 
cise. 

While  admitting  that  the  plan  may  be  successful 
with  the  brilliant  child,  who,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
critic,  will  take  most  of  the  teacher's  time,  doubts 
are  often  expressed,  that  it  would  be  less  success- 
ful with  the  slower  child.  One  must  confess  that 
the  brilliant  child  progresses  at  a  far  greater  rate 
than  before,  but,  at  the  same  time,  one  must  also 
acknowledge  that  the  slower  child  progresses,  too, 
at  a  greater  rate  and  in  a  far  better  way.  The 
very  slow  child  always  needs  special  considera- 
tion, and  is  able  to  get  it  either  as  an  individual  or 
in  a  group.  The  fear  that  exists  in  some  minds 
with  regard  to  the  last  type  is  that  such  pupils  will 
not  really  enjoy  prolonged  periods  of  private 
study.  First  of  all,  I  must  point  out  that  the  pupil 
is  not  obliged  to  study  for  prolonged  periods.  She 
may  change  her  subject  as  she  will.  Moreover, 
she  does  enjoy  discussion  of  her  study  with  her 
teacher  or  with  other  girls.  Probably  she  would 
not  enjoy  a  week  of  all  study  with  no  lessons  or  no 
manual  work  or  drill  or  games.  But  freedom  to  do 
some  amount  of  the  work  by  herself  certainly 


A  YEAR'S  EXPERIMENT  195 

brings  with  it  increased  enjoyment  of  the  work 
undertaken. 

Another  critic  asks :  "What  is  the  moral  effect 
of  allowing  children  to  choose  their  occupation  at 
certain  times  when,  in  after  life,  they  will  have  to 
do  what  is  set  before  them  at  a  given  time1? "  If  a 
rigid  time-table  of  class  lessons  had  produced  a 
nation  whose  ideals  were  so  high  that  everything 
was  done  from  a  sense  of  duty  and  discipline — a 
nation  so  developed  that  self-discipline  was  uni- 
versal, one  would  be  disinclined  to  contemplate 
any  change  in  educational  methods.  But  as  no 
such  nation  exists,  one  is  justified  in  hoping  that 
a  change  may  be  for  the  better,  and  that  an  edu- 
cation based  upon  freedom  to  choose,  and  to  pur- 
sue the  study  that  attracts  where  and  when  the 
student  wills  may  assist  us  to  grow  into  a  nation 
competent  to  choose  and  pursue  its  own  destiny 
rather  than  one  led  by  the  voice  of  authority 
whether  in  the  form  of  a  ranting  demagogue,  a 
trumpery  journal,  a  fashion  plate,  or  a  phrase.  In 
the  world  people  "do  what  is  set  before  them  at  a 
given  time"  either  because  it  is  to  their  interest, 
or  because  it  is  their  livelihood.  Children  who 
grow  up  with  a  joy  in  the  work  which  interests 
them  will  be  likely  to  find  that  interest  useful  in 
their  later  life.  It  is  certain  at  all  events,  that  our 
education  which  allows  a  child  liberty  to  develop 
and  time  to  think  and  plan  must  favour  the  expan- 
sion of  all  the  good  qualities  innate  in  his  person- 
ality. 


CHAPTER  X 
The  Dalton  Plan  for  Elementary  Schools 

By  John  Eades,  Head  Master  of  Kirkstall  Road  Council 
School,  Leeds 

The  Dalton  Plan  has  come  to  stay.  It  has  al- 
ready secured  its  place  in  the  secondary  school, 
and  has  also  been  adopted  in  many  elementary 
schools.  In  fact,  in  various  modified  forms  it  had 
been  in  use  in  some  English  up-to-date  schools 
long  before  it  came  from  America.  I  hope  to  give 
such  information  of  the  initiation  and  working  of 
the  new  plan  in  the  elementary  school  as  will  enable 
any  teachers  who  are  interested  to  apply  the  plan 
to  suit  their  own  school  and  their  own  particular 
circumstances. 

A  number  of  years  ago  I  began  a  system  of 
specialization  at  the  Leeds  Kirkstall  Road  School. 
The  frequent  hearing  of  class  lessons  on  all  the 
school  subjects  prepared  and  given  by  students  in 
training  convinced  me  of  the  impossibility  of  any 
one  teacher  being  able  to  do  full  justice  to  every 
subject  in  the  curriculum.  Tastes,  training,  dis- 
position, and  knowledge  were  all  against  it.  It 
was  self-evident  that  a  teacher  always  taught 

196 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  197 

those  subjects  best  that  he  knew  most  about,  and 
they  were  invariably  the  subjects  in  which  he  was 
most  interested.  All  teachers  have  one  or  more 
such  subjects,  and  their  enthusiasm  and  keenness 
with  regard  to  them  often  inspire  their  pupils,  and 
so  secure  more  and  better  work  with  a  much  less 
expenditure  of  energy. 

We  discussed  the  question  at  several  staff  meet- 
ings, and  talked  over  the  preferences  of  the  va- 
rious teachers.  Then  two  or  more  special  subjects 
were  allotted  to  each  teacher;  the  time-table  was 
arranged  accordingly,  and  ever  since  specializa- 
tion in  teaching  has  been  used  in  our  school  with 
gratifying  success. 

Yet  as  time  went  on,  the  weakness  and  waste  of 
cumulative  class  teaching  in  some  subjects  became 
painfully  manifest.  Listening  to  hundreds  of  les- 
sons in  academic  subjects-— carefully  and  often 
elaborately  prepared — and  seeing  the  utterly  in- 
adequate result  of  it  all,  turned  my  mind  in  the 
direction  of  sectional  teaching.  Classes  were  di- 
vided into  three  sections — one  containing  the 
clever  children,  the  middle  one  the  average  chil- 
dren, and  the  third  section  the  weaker  and  back- 
ward children.  This  was  an  improvement  on 
whole  class  teaching,  yet  it  left  something  to  be 
desired,  and  we  were  still  faced  by  the  problem 
of  the  individual — the  problem  that  each  child  in 
our  charge  is  unique;  for  no  two  children  in  the 
world  are  exactly  alike,  each  one  has  a  personality 
distinct  from  that  of  anybody  else.    Every  time 


198  THE  DALTON   PLAN 

a  child  exercises  his  will,  the  action  has  a  separate 
and  direct  effect  upon  the  formation  of  his 
character,  which  as  time  goes  on  makes  him  a  dis- 
tinct nnit,  requiring  distinct  and  separate  treat- 
ment; for  we  can  deal  with  these  personalities 
successfully  only  by  treating  them  individually, 
and  applying  our  methods  according  to  the  dispo- 
sition and  capacity  of  each  child. 

Some  three  or  four  years  ago  this  thought  led 
to  individual  work  being  given  to  those  in  the 
seventh  standard,  the  children  being  allotted  one 
week's  work  at  a  time.  Then  the  Dalton  Plan 
arrived,  and  that  led  to  further  developments. 
But  before  going  into  detail  let  me  summarize 
some  of  the  disadvantages  of  the  class  teaching  of 
academic  subjects  which  urged  us  to  adopt  a  dif- 
ferent plan. 

Sharp  children  are  held  back  and  dull  children 
are  pushed  on,  to  the  detriment  of  their  mental 
powers,  owing  to  the  teacher 's  effort  to  strike  the 
problematical  average. 

Lazy  children  do  as  little  as  they  can,  end 
shelter  themselves  behind  the  more  eager  ones. 

There  is  very  little  in  the  way  of  co-operation, 
and  co-operation  is  one  of  the  vital  principles  of 
successful  teaching.  The  teacher  is  tempted  to 
pour  into  the  minds  of  the  children  a  load  of  new 
facts,  and  his  teaching  resolves  itself  into  ' '  talk  a 
little,  chalk  a  little,  talk  a  little  more ' ' ;  while  the 
children  remain  passive,  and  often  become  indif- 
ferent and  mischievous.    Any  lesson,  to  be  effect- 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS   199 

ive,  must  be  the  children's  as  well  as  the  teacher's, 
and  more  the  children's  than  the  teacher's. 

Then  again,  a  child  has  to  take  stated  subjects, 
each  at  a  definite  time,  for  a  given  length  of  time, 
whether  he  feels  in  the  humour  for  a  particular 
subject  or  no.  And  the  one  who  finds  a  subject  dim- 
cult  can  spend  only  the  same  amount  of  time  at  it 
as  the  one  who  finds  it  easy.  This  arrangement 
generates  in  the  child  a  distaste  for  that  subject ; 
whereas  if  he  had  more  time  to  spend  on  it  and 
more  help  given  to  him,  he  would  overcome  his 
difficulties  and  find  real  interest  in  the  very  work 
which  once  he  disliked.  And,  finally,  more  rapid 
promotion  is  a  serious  problem  under  the  ordinary 
method  of  classification.  The  only  way  seems  to 
be  for  a  clever  child  to  spend  six  months  in  one 
standard  and  then  pass  on  to  the  next.  But  this 
means  a  serious  gap  in  a  scheme  of  work  and 
breaks  the  thread  of  the  child's  orderly  and  gradu- 
ated education,  which,  in  the  long  run,  probably 
does  more  harm  than  good. 

To  avoid  these  disadvantages,  some  subjects 
should  be  taught  individually  and  others  in  groups 
or  classes. 

All  teaching  can  be  broadly  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions: (1)  That  which  aims  at  the  development  of 
the  mental  powers,  and  the  acquirement  of  such 
knowledge  as  is  necessary  to  make  an  intelligent 
and  useful  citizen;  and  (2)  that  which  has  for  its 
object  the  development  of  the  physique,  the  culti- 
vation of  the  social  sense,  and  of  the  emotions. 


200  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

With  these  two  aims  in  mind,  we  can,  broadly 
speaking,  divide  our  school  subjects  into  two 
groups  corresponding  in  the  main  to  these  two 
aims: 

1.  The  academic  subjects — e.g.,  reading,  mathe- 
matics, physical  science,  composition,  spelling, 
grammar,  history,  geography,  art  and  handicraft 
corresponding  to  our  first  aim. 

2.  The  physical,  social,  and  emotional  subjects 
— e.g.,  physical  training  (including  games  and 
dancing),  music,  literature,  outdoor  rambles,  for 
nature  study  and  sketching,  and  lantern  lectures, 
corresponding  to  our  second  aim.  There  will  be 
some  overlapping  in  (1)  and  (2),  but  nothing  det- 
rimental to  the  plan. 

The  academic  subjects  will  be  taught  individ- 
ually, and  sometimes  in  small  groups  where  chil- 
dren are  at  the  same  stage.  There  will  be  individ- 
ual co-operation — the  younger  ones  will  be  en- 
couraged to  seek  help  from  the  older  ones,  and  the 
older  ones  will  be  encouraged  to  give  it. 

The  other  subjects  will  be  taught  in  classes,  but 
the  classification  will  be  mainly  an  age  classifica- 
tion and  not  one  of  standards.  In  these  lessons 
there  will  be  communal  co-operation ;  and  it  is  only 
by  a  happy  use  of  both  kinds  of  co-operation  that 
the  best  social  life  and  the  finest  character  can  be 
attained. 

The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  decide  on  the  stand- 
ards to  be  brought  within  the  scheme;  ours  are 
standards  IV  to  VIII.    When  that  is  done,  ar- 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  201 

range  the  classrooms  for  the  various  subjects 
according  to  the  work  allotted  to  the  different 
members  of  the  staff.  Our  rooms  are  arranged 
and  labelled  as  follows : 

The  Hall— Reading. 

Room  1 — Art. 

Room  2 — History  and  Geography. 

Room  3 — English   (composition,  spelling,  and 
grammar). 

Room  4 — Mathematics. 

Room  5 — Science  and  Handicraft. 
The  teacher  who  has  specialized  in  the  subjects 
named  takes  charge  of  his  room  and  the  work  that 
has  to  be  done  in  it.  I  take  charge  of  the  reading, 
which  is,  of  course,  silent  reading,  and  that  brings 
me  into  close  and  frequent  contact  with  every 
pupil  in  the  upper  part  of  the  school. 

A  monthly  allotment  of  work  in  each  subject  is 
made  out  by  the  teacher  responsible  and  fixed  on 
the  classroom  wall  or  notice  board.  It  does  not 
exceed  an  amount  which  can  be  done  comfortably 
by  a  child  of  ordinary  ability.  Children  are  al- 
lowed to  copy  this  into  their  notebooks  either  as  a 
whole  or  in  parts  as  they  require  them. 

At  9.30  a.m.  the  gong  is  sounded,  the  scripture 
lesson  closes,  the  children  move  out  into  any  room 
they  prefer,  and  stay  there  as  long  as  they  like ;  so 
there  may  be,  and  there  usually  are,  children  from 
all  the  given  standards  in  any  one  room  at  the 
same  time.  Some  stay  for  half  an  hour,  others  for 
an  hour,  and  a  few  for  a  whole  morning.    Each 


202 


THE  DALTON  PLAN 


pupil  plans  out  his  own  work,  and  does  it  at  his 
own  convenience.    No  slacking  is  allowed.    A  boy 


WORK    RECORD  CARD 


Stcf   v©    Tom 


«,$ 


% 


S  =  SET  WORK.      W  =  WRITTEN  WORK. 

must  be  reading,  studying,  writing,  drawing, 
modelling,  experimenting,  etc.  The  teacher  ques- 
tions each  one  briefly  on  his  study  work,  discusses 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  203 

points  with  him,  and  examines  his  written  answers 
to  the  questions  set. 

Each  child  is  supplied  with  a  "Work  Record 
Card. ' '  This  he  keeps  in  an  envelope  in  his  school 
bag,  along  with  his  writing  materials  and  text- 
books, for  the  preservation  and  safety  of  which  he 
is  held  responsible. 

When  the  teacher  has  questioned  a  boy  on  any 
part  of  his  set  work,  or  has  corrected  one  of  his 
written  answers,  he  marks  it  with  a  tick  in  red 
ink.  All  the  teacher's  marks  on  the  card  are  in 
red  ink ;  my  initials,  as  the  head  master,  when  the 
work  for  the  month  is  completed,  are  in  black  ink. 

When  the  teacher  has  initialled  his  monthly 
allotment  as  being  completed,  he  ticks  off  the  boy's 
name  for  that  month  in  his  own  book,  which  con- 
tains the  names  of  all  the  boys  in  their  various 
standards.  When  I  have  initialled  the  completed 
month's  work,  I  enter  in  my  book,  opposite  the 
name  of  each  boy,  a  number  corresponding  to  the 
order  of  finishing  among  the  boys  of  the  same 
standard.  In  this  way  we  can  find  out  at  any 
time  just  where  a  boy  stands  in  his  work,  and  a 
request  for  his  record  card  will  furnish  the  details. 

No  boy  is  allowed  to  go  on  with  any  subject 
in  one  month's  allotment  until  he  has  completed 
the  work  given  in  all  the  subjects  set  for  the  pre- 
vious month.  Many  children  will  have  the  March 
work  finished  in  February,  and  the  April  work 
finished  in  early  March.  Then  if  they  prefer  they 
can  spend  the  remaining  time  in  the  month  on 


204  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

their  favourite  subjects — and  probably  they  wi'l 
be  better  educated  through  these  than  through 
any  others — or  they  can  push  on  with  the  next 
month's  allotment.  Most  children  prefer  to  do 
the  latter,  and  many  will  complete  the  year's  work 
in  seven,  eight,  or  nine  months,  and  at  once  pass 
on  to  the  work  of  the  next  standard  higher.  The 
slower  ones  may  take  15  or  16  months  to  do  the 
year's  work;  but  when  they  have  done  it,  it  will 
be  well  done,  and  will  do  them  far  more  good 
than  merely  skimming  the  work  in  their  efforts  to 
keep  pace  with  those  who  are  more  mentally  alert. 

Oral  lessons  are  not  barred  during  the  working 
of  the  Dalton  Plan.  The  personal,  individual  in- 
tercourse between  teacher  and  pupils  enables  the 
teacher  to  find  out  their  peculiar  difficulties.  If 
the  same  difficulty  presents  itself  to  several  chil- 
dren the  teacher  makes  a  note  of  it,  and  gathers 
them  round  the  blackboard,  and  deals  with  their 
difficulty  there. 

In  other  parts  of  a  subject  set  for  study  it  may 
not  be  possible  for  the  children  to  obtain  all  the 
necessary  information  from  their  text-books,  or 
the  reference  books  which  are  provided,  and  to 
which  children  are  frequently  sent  for  further 
information.  When  that  happens,  perhaps  once 
or  twice  a  month,  the  teacher  appoints  a  day  and 
time,  and  puts  up  a  notice,  or  enters  it  on  the 
allotment  of  work,  asking  all  children  who  are 
studying  that  subject  to  assemble  in  his  room  for 
a  special  lesson.  Other  children  in  the  room  at 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS   205 

the  time  go  to  one  of  the  other  subject-rooms,  and 
carry  on  work  there. 

Here  are  a  few  of  our  specimen  allotments  of 
work  for  a  month: 

STANDARD  IV 

HISTORY 

March 
Study. 

(a)  How  a  monastery  got  its  food  and  money. 

(b)  The  Friars. 

(c)  A  mediaeval  town  in  the  time  of  Edward 
III  (14th  century). 

[See  Piers'  Plowman  History,  pp.  118-139.] 

Written  Work. 

(a)  Make  a  sketch  of  the  stocks  on  page  134, 
but  leave  out  the  drawings  of  the  man  and  woman. 

(b)  Give  an  account  of  the  Friars  in  your  own 
words. 

(c)  What  do  you  think  the  streets  of  Leeds 
were  like  in  the  14th  century? 

(d)  Tell  what  you  know  of  the  trade  guilds. 

ENGLISH 

February 
Composition. 

Select  any  four  of  the  following  subjects;  col- 
lect and  arrange  ideas  on  each  of  them,  and  then 
write  compositions  on  them  in  your  books. 


206  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

(a)  A  rainy  day. 

(b)  My  mother,  or  father. 

(c)  A  description  of  a  favourite  toy. 

(d)  A  letter  to  a  chum  telling  him  what  fun  you 
had  in  making  a  snow  man. 

(e)  An  accident  on  the  ice. 
Give  two  accounts  of  this : 

(1)  By  the  injured  person. 

(2)  By  one  of  those  who  went  to  his  aid. 

Gbammab. 

Study  pages  13  and  14  in  your  English  books. 
Write  out  exercise  10,  and  underline  the  pro- 
nouns. 

Spelling. 

Write  out  the  transcription  exercise  on  pages 
44  and  45.  Learn  the  words  printed  in  thick  black 
type,  and  be  prepared  to  use  them  in  oral  sen- 
tences. 

Special  Lesson. 

On  Monday,  February  6th,  at  9.30,  a  lesson 
will  be  given  on  "Punctuation."  All  Standard 
IV  boys  must  be  present;  any  others  who  know 
that  their  punctuation  is  faulty  may  also  attend. 

STANDARD  V 

GEOMETRY 
March 

(1)  Draw  an  equilateral  triangle  of  3  inches 
side.     Divide  this  triangle  into  three  equal  tri- 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  207 

angles.    In  each  triangle  inscribe  a  circle  which 
will  just  touch  all  the  sides. 

(2)  On  a  given  base  line,  say  2  inches,  show 
the  method  of  erecting  any  polygon. 

(3)  Draw  the  plan,  elevation,  and  end  elevation 
of  the  following  hand  sketch  of  a  model. 


(4)  Select  any  object  from  the  box  of  models, 
and  draw  the  plan,  elevation,  and  end  elevation 
of  it  to  a  scale  half  the  size. 


ARITHMETIC 
March 


Study. 


(1)  Study  the  multiplication  and  division  of 
decimals  on  pages  32  and  33  of  the  Cambridge 
Arithmetic. 

(2)  Draw  Figure  1,  on  page  35,  and  do  what  it 
tells  you  at  the  side. 

(3)  Read  No.  4  on  page  36,  and  work  an  ex- 
ample of  your  own  on  squared  paper. 

(4)  Complete  the  table  about  prices  at  the  top 
of  page  39. 

(5)  Learn  the  meaning  of  Ratio  from  the  ex- 
ample at  the  top  of  page  43,  and  study  both  the 
unitary  method  and  the  fractional  method. 


208  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Written  Work. 

Work  examples : 

(1)  (a),  (6),  (c)  in  No.  10,  p.  32. 

(2)  (5),  (6),  (9)  on  p.  33. 

(3)  (3),  (4),  (5),  (6)  on  p.  37. 

(4)  (1),  (2),  (3)  on  p.  40. 

(5)  (5),  (6),  (7)  on  p.  46. 

Special  Lesson. 

On  Friday  morning,  March  10th,  at  9.30,  a  les- 
son on  "The  Uses  of  Ratio' '  will  be  given  to  all 
boys  in  Standard  V  who  are  at  this  stage  of  the 
work.  Other  boys  may  attend  if  they  wish  to 
do  so. 

STANDARD  VI 

ART 

March 

Do  the  work  indicated  in  any  f onr  of  the  follow- 
ing sections : 

Object  Drawing. 

Make  a  water-colour  drawing  of  the  group  of 
objects  set  up  for  March  in  your  section  of  the 
room. 

Memory  Drawing. 

Draw  from  memory  a  group  of  objects  compris- 
ing a  jackplane,  a  dovetail  saw,  a  mallet  and  a 
chisel.  When  you  are  in  the  Handicraft  Depart- 
ment notice  carefully  the  construction  and  shape 
of  these  tools. 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  209 

Design. 

Draw  two  border  designs,  one  based  on  straight 
lines  and  one  on  curved  lines.  Paint  them,  using 
those  colours  which,  in  your  opinion,  harmonize 
the  best. 

Lettering. 

Study  the  examples  of  Roman  lettering  which 
are  displayed.  The  proportions  of  the  letters  up 
to  K  are  shown.  Draw  these  carefully,  making 
your  squares  of  2  inches  sides.  Notice  that  cer- 
tain letters,  such  as  C,  D,  G,  are  based  on  the 
circle. 

Picture  Drawing. 

Watch  boys  or  men  playing  football.  Notice 
the  positions  of  arms  and  legs  when  one  is  taking 
a  big  kick.  Make  drawings  of  a  footballer  kick- 
ing the  football  from  different  positions.  Illus- 
trate an  incident  in  a  football  match  which  may 
be  entitled  "  Saved  I" 

GEOGRAPHY 

February 
Study. 

Study  the  products  and  industries  of  India,  and 
then  the  towns  and  communications. 

Read  Lay's  British  Dominions,  pp.  50-63.  Seek 
further  information  in  the  reference  books. 


210  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Written  Work. 

(1)  In  map  reading  and  exercises,  do  numbers 
4,  9, 12,  13  on  p.  54,  and  3,  15, 17  on  p.  61. 

(2)  In  " Things  to  do"  take  numbers  1,  2  on  p. 
55,  and  1,  2  on  p.  62. 

Special  Lesson. 

A  lesson  will  be  given  on  Monday,  February 
27th,  at  11  a.m.,  on  "The  Value  of  India  to  Britain 
and  the  Value  of  Britain  to  India."  All  boys  who 
are  studying  India  must  be  present. 


BEADING 
April 

When  you  have  chosen  your  book  for  the  month, 
enter  your  name,  standard,  and  title  of  the  book 
in  the  exercise  book  provided  for  the  purpose. 

Bead  through  the  whole  of  the  book  before  you 
write  any  answers. 

If,  in  reading,  you  come  to  anything  you  do  not 
understand,  ask  one  of  the  older  boys  or  consult 
the  dictionary.  If  these  do  not  help  you,  come 
tome. 

When  you  have  read  through  the  book  give 
written  answers  to  the  following  questions : 

(1)  Which  do  you  consider  the  best  story  or 
the  most  interesting  chapter  in  the  book?  De- 
scribe it. 

(2)  Which  person  in  the  book  do  you  like  best? 
Say  why  you  prefer  him  (or  her),  and  tell  of  one 
or  two  things  he  did. 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  211 

(3)  Write  a  short  play,  using  the  contents  of 
any  chapter  in  the  book,  or  write  a  poem  of  not 
less  than  three  verses  about  any  person  or  inci- 
dent in  the  book. 

STANDARD  VII 

ENGLISH 
March 
Composition. 

(1)  Expand  the  outline  No.  2  on  p.  115  of  your 
English  book. 

(2)  Write  out  the  first  portion  of  the  story 
given  in  Exercise  10,  on  p.  129,  continue  it,  and 
add  your  own  conclusion. 

Select  any  two  of  the  following  subjects,  pre- 
pare them,  and  then  write  out  fully  in  your  ex- 
ercise books. 

(1)  Your  speech  as  Captain  of  the  School  Foot- 
ball Team  on  being  presented  with  the  League 
Cup. 

(2) i  A  letter  to  a  chum  congratulating  him  on 
winning  a  scholarship. 

(3)  Indications  of  the  approach  of  spring. 

(4)  A  letter  to  a  boy  in  India,  describing  a  hard 
winter  in  England. 

Grammak. 

(1)  Punctuate  passages  6  and  7  in  Exercise  1, 
p.  59. 

(2)  Change  parts  1  and  2  of  Exercise  2,  p.  61, 
from  direct  into  reported  speech. 


212  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Special  Lesson. 

On  Wednesday,  March  1st,  at  9.30  a.m.,  a  lesson 
will  be  given  on  " Direct  and  Beported  Speech.' \ 
All  Standard  VII  boys  must  be  present. 


MATHEMATICS   AND   SCIENCE 

March 
Study. 

(1)  Learn  the  note  on  Eatio  at  the  top  of  p.  12, 
Cambridge  Arithmetic;  that  on  Profit  and  Loss 
on  p.  16 ;  and  that  on  Simple  Interest  on  p.  18. 

(2)  Write  out  and  learn  the  two  formulae  for 
the  triangle  given  on  p.  26,  and  the  formulae  foe 
the  cylinder  and  cone  on  pp.  30  and  31. 

(3)  Read  the  notes  on  p.  37  on  commission  and 
brokerage,  and  those  on  pp.  64  and  65  on  the  areas 
of  irregular  figures. 

Written  Work. 

Work  examples : 

(1)  3,  15,  18,  21,  p.  10  Camb.  Arith. 

(2)  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  21,  22,  23,  p.  11,  Camb.  AritH. 

(3)  1,  2,  3,  p.  12,  Camb.  Arith. 

(4)  1,  2,  3,  p.  13,  Camb.  Arith. 

(5)  4,  5,  6,  p.  14,  Camb.  Arith. 

(6)  1,  2,  5,  p.  17,  Camb.  Arith. 

(7)  1,  3,  6,  p.  18,  Camb.  Arith. 

(8)  Work  example  3  (Fig.  4)  on  p.  65,  and  cal- 
culate the  area  of  the  deck  of  the  vessel. 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  213 

EXPERIMENTAL  SCIENCE 

Work  out  and  describe  two  or  more  of  the  ex- 
periments from  Lessons  6  and  7  on  the  cone  and 
cylinder. 

Study  Lesson  13  on  Specific  Gravity,  and  copy 
the  drawing  on  p.  12.  McDougall's  Handwork 
Science,  Book  II. 

Now  let  me  point  out  some  of  the  advantages 
of  this  individual  method  of  teaching. 

1.  The  child's  individuality  is  recognized, 
studied,  and  cultivated. 

2.  Every  child  can  go  at  his  own  pace.  No  child 
is  hindered  by  having  to  wait  for  others ;  the  slow 
child  is  not  hurried  beyond  his  powers,  and  so 
does  better  and  more  lasting  work. 

3.  The  child  with  a  tendency  to  be  lazy  becomes 
interested  by  being  allowed  more  choice. 

4.  Work  is  done  by  the  child,  instead  of  for 
him;  he  gains  experience  by  doing,  and  has  the 
satisfaction  of  accomplishing  something  by  his 
own  efforts. 

5.  There  is  no  breaking  off  a  piece  of  work  just 
when  it  is  most  interesting,  nor  continuing  it  when 
bored  or  fatigued. 

6.  There  is  unity  in  the  teaching.  If  a  child 
is  absent  for  a  week  or  two  he  takes  up  the  work 
on  his  return  just  where  he  left  off;  he  does  not 
lose  the  thread  of  his  subject,  &s  so  often  happens 
in  class  teaching. 


214  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

7.  The  children  in  each  room  form  a  family 
group ;  the  older  and  more  advanced  children  help 
the  younger  and  weaker  ones  whenever  they  are 
appealed  to,  without  telling  them  too  much,  or 
making  them  too  dependent.  This  cultivates  a 
helping  spirit  in  the  older  pupils,  and  at  the  same 
time  fixes  their  own  knowledge  more  firmly  in 
their  minds,  as  all  teaching  does. 

8.  There  is  no  sharp  break  with  the  method  of 
study  in  after-school  life. 

9.  There  is  no  marking  time  when  a  child 
reaches  Standard  VII,  no  matter  how  few  children 
there  are  in  that  standard. 

10.  Children  being  free  to  work  at  a  subject 
when  they  feel  most  inclined  are  keener,  more 
alert,  and  attack  and  overcome  difficulties  much 
more  readily. 

11.  A  child's  organizing  powers  are  developed 
by  having  to  plan  out  and  complete  his  monthly 
programme  in  the  given  time. 

12.  Friendly  emulation  is  aroused ;  the  younger 
children  work  hard  to  catch  up  to  the  older  ones, 
and  the  older  ones  are  anxious  to  keep  ahead. 

13.  There  is  closer  personal  contact  between 
teacher  and  pupil. 

14.  There  is  no  difficulty  with  promotion ;  every 
child  is  promoted  as  soon  as  he  is  ready. 

15.  For  the  last  year  or  so  of  a  child's  school 
life  he  may  be  allowed  to  do  a  minimum  of  work 
in  those  subjects  for  which  he  has  little  or  no 
aptitude,  and  then  his  education  and  training  can 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  215 

be  carried  on  mainly  through  those  subjects  in 
which  he  is  keenly  interested. 

This  copy  of  the  time-table  will  give  a  good  idea 
as  to  the  subjects  taken  in  classes  in  the  after- 
noons. 

Four  equal  divisions,  containing  in  all  from  160 
to  200  children,  are  arranged  on  an  age  basis: 


Division  1 

ages 

13  and  14. 

Division  2 

ages 

12 

and  13. 

Division  3 

ages 

11 

and  12. 

Division  4 

ages 

9, 

10,  11. 

Subjects. 

As  indicated,  rambles  for  Nature  study  or 
sketching,  or  lantern  lectures  on  geography  or 
history,  are  specially  arranged,  and  the  times 
entered  in  the  log  book  under  "Science."  A 
course  of  hygiene  and  temperance  is  taken,  and 
experimental  work  in  physical  science  is  demon- 
strated. As  the  divisions  do  not  correspond  to  the 
standards,  the  teacher  takes  experimental  and 
oral  work  in  science  and  mathematics  with  small 
groups,  while  the  others  work  as  in  a  morning. 

Elocution  and  dramatization  are  taken  in  the 
literature  and  oral  reading  lessons.  The  litera- 
ture is  taught  in  classes,  so  is  scripture.  It  is  in 
these  lessons  where  the  personality  of  the  teacher 
in  his  translation  of  the  author's  words  and 
thoughts  and  spirit  has  the  greatest  effect  on  the 
imagination  and  emotions  of  the  children.    The 


216  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

literature  is  taken  on  the  lines  given  in  my  book, 
Literature  Teaching  in  Schools — A  Manual  of 
Matter  and  Method  (published  by  E.  J.  Arnold, 
Leeds,  at  4s.  6d.  net).  It  covers  eight  years  of  a 
child's  school  life. 

A  weekly  debate  is  taken  in  Division  1,  the  sub- 
ject and  leaders  being  decided  upon  by  the  chil- 
dren a  week  beforehand.  This  practises  the  older 
ones  in  thinking  while  on  their  feet,  and  trains 
them  in  giving  suitable  and  logical  expression  to 
their  thoughts — an  exercise  which  experience  of 
listening  to  speakers  in  other  spheres  of  life  shows 
to  be  very  necessary. 

Handwriting  includes  writing,  figuring,  and 
general  style.  This  corrects  any  tendency  to  slov- 
enly work,  which  may  occur  when  children  are 
more  intent  upon  the  subject  matter  under  con- 
sideration than  they  are  on  the  neatness  of  the 
form  in  which  they  express  it;  though  if  very 
careless  work  is  brought  to  be  examined  under 
the  Dalton  Plan  in  a  morning,  the  teacher  puts 
his  pen  through  it,  and  then  the  exercise  has  to 
be  re- written.  This  leads  the  child  to  see  not  only 
that  what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing 
well,  but  that  slovenly,  dirty,  or  untidy  work  of 
any  kind  is  an  act  of  discourtesy  to  the  person 
to  whom  it  is  presented. 

Physical  training  and  music  are  taken  by  a 
specialist  teacher,  and  are  taught  in  the  age  di- 
visions— a  much  better  classification  for  these 
subjects  than  that  of  the  standards. 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS    217 


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DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  219 

Now  I  will  give  a  number  of  questions  put  and 
criticisms  offered  by  visitors,  and  append  my 
answers  to  them. 

1.  Is  not  the  constant  application  a  strain  upon 
the  children? 

We  have  not  found  it  so.  Children  can 
change  their  subject  when  they  are  tired  of 
it.  After  close  study  or  written  work  a  child 
can  go  into  the  art  room,  or  into  the  read- 
ing room,  where  he  can  read  an  interesting 
story  or  a  collection  of  stories,  or  into  the 
science  and  handicraft  room,  and  do  some 
experimenting,  or  make  a  model  in  plasticine 
or  cardboard  of  something  about  which  he 
has  been  reading.  This  relieves  any  possi- 
bility of  a  strain. 

2.  But  what  about  the  nerve  strain  upon  the 
teacher? 

Certainly,  the  teacher  is  kept  hard  at  work 
throughout  the  morning  session,  but  he  has 
the  management  of  his  subject  in  his  own 
hands.  He  can  vary  his  corrections  of  writ- 
ten work  with  questions  on  the  subject  matter 
set  for  study;  he  can  take  a  few  children 
round  the  blackboard  for  sectional  instruc- 
tion on  some  weak  point,  or  he  can  go  among 
the  boys  and  chat  with  them  about  their  work. 
These  variations  will  be  found  quite  effective. 

3.  How  do  you  prevent  boys  wasting  their  time 
while  waiting  to  be  marked? 

Each  boy  who  has  his  work  ready  to  be 
marked  writes  his  name  on  the  blackboard 


220  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  then  goes  on  with  further  work.  The 
teacher  calls  out  one  boy  at  a  time  in  the 
order  of  names  on  the  blackboard. 

4.  Do  you  find  children  wandering  aimlessly 
about  from  one  room  to  another? 

No.  Most  boys  stay  in  a  room  for  an  hour 
or  more.  We  encourage  them  to  finish  a 
written  answer,  map,  drawing,  or  composi- 
tion, when  they  have  begun  it,  before  going 
on  with  any  other  subject. 

5.  Are  your  text-books  all  suitable? 

They  are  the  best  we  can  get  for  the  time 
being.  When  there  is  a  greater  demand  for 
text-books  suitable  for  young  children  pub- 
lishers will  respond  to  it.  Teachers  should 
examine  the  newest  catalogues  and  choose  for 
themselves. 

6.  Do  you  find  any  children  slacking  under  the 
new  arrangement? 

They  cannot  slack  without  being  found  out. 
Their  Work  Record  Card  shows  what  they 
have  done  in  each  subject,  and  they  can  be 
asked  to  produce  it  at  any  time  by  any 
teacher.  Then  again,  by  a  glance  at  his  own 
Record  Book  a  teacher  can  see  at  once  if  any 
boy  is  neglecting  his  subject,  and  can  call  him 
up  for  interview.  But  the  tendency  is  all  the 
other  way.  The  difficulty  is  to  get  children 
to  give  up  work  at  recreation  time  and  home 
time.  Many  of  them  work  at  home  of  their 
own  free  will,  as  no  home  lessons  are  given. 

7.  How  do  you  manage  when  too  many  children 
wish  to  go  into  a  certain  room  at  the  same 
time? 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  221 

Preference  is  given  to  those  who  are  less  ad- 
vanced in  the  subject,  and  to  those  who  have 
only  that  subject  to  finish  in  order  to  com- 
plete the  month's  work.  The  teacher  tells 
the  children  that  he  wants  six,  eight,  or  ten, 
as  the  case  may  be,  to  volunteer  to  go  to  an- 
other room  for  the  present;  and  a  sufficient 
number  goes  immediately  without  demur.  It 
is  good  training  in  self-denial. 

8.  Will  not  oral  work  suffer  under  this  plan? 
There  is  ample  opportunity  for  oral  work  and 
for  speech  training  in  the  afternoon  class 
lessons,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  time-table; 
and  in  the  morning  session  conversation  is 
frequent  among  the  children  themselves,  and 
between  teacher  and  child. 

9.  What  happens  when  a  child  loses  his  Work 
Eecord  Card? 

He  has  to  pay  a  penny  for  a  new  one,  and 
also  has  to  take  the  trouble  to  get  the  teachers 
to  initial  his  work  over  again.  This  means 
that  he  loses  time  and  money  as  well  as  his 
card,  and  so  he  is  very  careful  with  it.  Few 
have  been  lost. 

10.  Do  you  find  that  the  style  of  the  written 
work  deteriorates? 

Very  little.  There  is  a  special  lesson  in  the 
afternoon  given  to  correct  any  tendency  in 
this  direction.  Moreover,  slovenly  work  done 
in  the  morning  session  has  to  be  re-written, 
and  so  the  children  learn  by  experience  that 
what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well. 

11.  Do  you  intend  bringing  any  of  the  lower 
standards  into  this  scheme  ? 


222  THE  DALTON   PLAN 

Possibly  Standard  III ;  but,  according  to  our 
present  judgment,  not  below  that,  though  the 
methods  in  Standards  I  and  II  will,  in  some 
subjects,  particularly  the  three  R's,  be  largely 
individual.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
Dalton  Plan  is  not  the  Montessori  System. 

12.  Has  the  freedom  allowed  had  any  adverse 
effect  on  discipline? 

On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  great  aid  to  discipline ; 
it  is  a  training  in  responsibility  and  self- 
control.  When  children  are  interested  and 
have  plenty  to  do  there  is  no  trouble  with 
discipline. 

13.  Have  you  lockers  for  the  boys? 

No.  All  have  school  bags,  and  each  one 
carries  his  own  books  and  writing  materials ; 
each  teacher  concerned  keeps  a  check  on  them. 
Material  for  art  work,  handicraft  and  experi- 
mental science  are  stored  in  cupboards  in  the 
allotted  rooms.  Boys  get  them  as  they  want 
them  and  return  them  to  the  proper  places 
when  they  have  done  with  them. 

14.  How  do  you  deal  with  a  child  who  has  been 
absent,  say,  for  three  months? 

We  let  him  continue  at  the  place  where  he 
left  off,  but  we  lessen  the  amount  of  work 
in  most  subjects  so  as  to  give  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  recover  the  lost  ground  as  soon  as 
possible. 

15.  How  do  you  deal  with  a  child  who  is  very 
backward,  say,  in  arithmetic,  and  fairly  well 
up  in  the  other  subjects? 

He  is  allotted  easier  work  in  that  subject. 
If  necessary,  he  is  given  work  in  it  that  is  a 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  223 

standard  lower.  In  fact,  the  work  is  made  to 
fit  him.  We  do  not  attempt  the  impossible 
task  of  making  him  fit  the  work. 

16.  How  does  a  boy  proceed  when  he  has  com- 
pleted all  his  subjects  for  the  month  with  one 
exception,  and  on  going  to  the  particular 
room  where  that  subject  is  taken  he  finds  all 
the  places  occupied? 

Such  a  boy  is  allowed  to  go  to  the  teacher 
of  that  subject,  and  tell  him  his  work  for  the 
next  month  is  being  held  up  because  he  has 
not  completed  that  subject.  The  teacher  asks 
someone  whose  work  is  not  so  urgent  to  give 
way,  and  that  is  invariably  done. 

17.  You  allow  boys  to  talk  and  move  about  dur- 
ing work  time.  Do  you  find  any  truth  in  the 
old  saying : '  ■  Give  them  an  inch  and  they  will 
take  a  yard?" 

The  saying  is  true  enough  in  the  case  of  chil- 
dren who  have  been  subjected  to  the  old  mili- 
tary discipline.  Like  children  whose  parents 
have  ruled  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  like 
army  men,  when  the  restrictions  are  removed 
reaction  sets  in,  and  its  violence  is  usually 
proportionate  to  the  preceding  pressure.  It 
is  not  true  in  the  case  of  children  brought 
up  under  saner  methods.  Certainly  we  allow 
children  to  talk  and  move  about.  They  must 
do  that  if  they  are  to  help  one  another.  But 
the  rule  is  that  all  conversation  must  be  in 
whispers,  and  movement  from  one  part  of  a 
room  to  another  must  be  for  a  definite  pur- 
pose connected  with  the  subject.  We  do  not 
find  the  privilege  abused. 


224  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

18.  Is  not  the  Dalton  Plan  swinging  the  pendu- 
lum too  far  in  the  opposite  direction  from 
that  in  which  the  teacher  did  nearly  all  the 
work? 

Not  with  our  arrangement  and  method.  The 
teacher  does  a  good  deal  in  the  way  of  advice, 
help,  guidance,  and  encouragement,  only  it  is 
done  with  the  individual  instead  of  with  the 
mass — a  much  more  impressive  and  effective 
method.  And  this  is  in  addition  to  the  sec- 
tional and  class  lessons  which  are  given  on 
new  work,  or  in  special  points  in  the  subjects 
set  for  study. 

19.  When  do  you  allow  more  freedom  of  choice 
as  regards  subjects? 

At  present,  when  a  boy  has  finished  his  work 
for  Standard  VII,  allotments  of  mathematics 
and  English  only  are  given  to  him,  sufficient 
to  occupy  six  or  seven  days  during  the  month. 
The  remaining  time  is  spent  on  favourite  sub- 
jects; the  only  requirement  is  that  a  record 
of  work  done  shall  be  kept,  and  that  such  work 
shall  be  examined  by  the  teachers  of  those 
subjects.  In  special  cases  this  plan  may  be 
adopted  for  children  who  have  not  completed, 
and  never  will  complete,  the  work  of  Standard 
VII. 

20.  My  fears  are  that  the  inspiration  and  en- 
thusiasm which  passes  from  teacher  to  pupils 
in  class  teaching  will  disappear  under  the 
Dalton  Plan.    "What  is  your  view? 

It  is  true  that  in  some  lessons,  and  particu- 
larly with  some  teachers,  subtle  influences 
pass  from  teacher  to  children  when  they  are 


DALTON  PLAN  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  225 

taught  in  the  mass ;  but  scripture,  literature, 
music,  and  some  history  lessons  are  almost 
the  only  subjects  where  that  happens,  and 
under  our  scheme  these  are  taken  in  class  les- 
sons. I  am  of  opinion  that  the  influence  of 
a  teacher's  conversation  with  an  individual 
child  on  any  ordinary  academic  subject  is 
much  more  potent  than  what  is  said  in  a  class 
lesson.  Those  of  us  who  are  older  often  hear 
sermons  or  lectures  which  inspire  us,  and  if 
we  are  privileged  to  talk  over  points  with  the 
preacher  or  lecturer  afterwards,  the  effect  is 
much  more  emphatic  and  permanent.  But 
how  many  class  lessons  have  children  to  listen 
to  which  are  boring  and  useless,  and  others 
where  they  are  not  sufficiently  interested  to 
ask  a  question?  If  we  use  class  teaching  and 
individual  work  in  their  proper  places  the 
best  results  will  follow. 


APPENDICES 


Appendix  I 

ASSIGNMENTS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  USED 
IN  BKITISH  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 

FOUR  ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM   AN   ELEMENTARY   SCHOOL   FOR   BOYS 
WHERE    THE    TEACHERS    SPECIALIZE 

HISTORY.     Contract  3. 
First  Assignment  Standard  VII 

1st  Period 

The  British  Empire  is  one  ''on  which  the  sun  never 
sets."  It  comprises  vast  self-governing  colonies,  like 
Canada,  Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  South  Africa; 
great  dependencies  like  India,  large  protectorates  like 
Egypt,  and  wide-spreading  possessions  like  Uganda  and 
Nigeria.  How  was  this  great  Empire  built  up?  To 
answer  this  question  fully  and  well  will  be  our  history 
for  the  present  year.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  more  than 
interested  to  read  stories  of  daring  adventure  showing 
the  dogged  spirit  of  discoverers  and  colonists  to  bear 
want,  and  overcome  difficulty;  a  strong  sense  of  right 
and  justice  on  the  part  of  the  British  race,  all  of  which, 

227 


228  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

coupled  with  deeds  of  valour,  glorious  victories  on  land 
and  sea,  and  brilliant  statesmanship  at  home,  have 
combined  to  make  this  Empire  what  it  is  to-day.  The 
little  Mother-country  of  England  contains  only  50,222 
square  miles,  and  yet  the  British  Empire  to-day  consists 
of  nearly  14,000,000  square  miles  of  territory.  The 
existence  of  Greater  Britain  as  a  State  depends  upon 
her  maintaining  the  control  of  the  seas,  and  it  therefore 
follows  that  our  history  must  begin  at  that  period  when 
there  was  great  rivalry  between  England  and  other 
nations  for  the  discovery  of  sea-routes  to  new  lands. 

This  week  I  am  asking  you  to  read: 

"The  Story  of  Christopher  Columbus,"  "Piers  Plow- 
man," Book  3,  pp.  54-61,  "Christopher  Columbus,  and 
the  first  Voyage  to  America,"  "Three  famous  Voy- 
ages," pp.  5-8. 

This  will  count  for  two  days'  work.  Answer  the 
questions  below,  and  these  will  count  for  three  days' 
work. 

Questions: 

1.  Make  a  sketch  map  showing  the  known  world  be- 

fore the  voyage  of  Columbus. 

2.  Give  an  account  of  the  early  life  of  Columbus. 

3.  Who  discovered  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope? 

4.  How  did  it  get  its  name? 

Show  all  your  work  to  me  before  you  mark  it  upon 
your  cards,  and  do  this  with  all  the  written  work. 

2nd  Period 

We  shall  continue  this  week  the  story  of  Christopher 
Columbus  and  the  first  voyage  to  America.  "Three 
famous  Voyages,"  pp.  8-24. 

The  reading  will  count  for  two  days'  work,  and  the 
questions  are  three  days'  work. 


APPENDIX  I  229 

Questions: 

1.  Draw  a  map  to  show  the  course  Columbus  took 

on  his  voyage  to  America. 

2.  Write  a  short  story  of  the  voyage  of  Columbus 

to  America. 

3rd  Period 

The  Tudor  period  is  called  "the  Age  of  Discovery," 
and  all  the  sovereigns  of  this  period  showed  their  in- 
terest in  the  new  lands.  It  was  the  beginning  of  our 
great  Empire. 

Bead:  "Trade  and  Discovery,"  "Columbus  and 
Cabot,"  "Self  Help  History,"  pp.  38-44. 

This  is  a  day's  work;  the  questions  given  below  will 
count  for  four  days'  work. 

Questions: 

1.  Why  is  the  Tudor  period  called  the  Age  of  Dis- 

covery ? 

2.  Name  the  two  countries  most  anxious  to  discover 

a  sea-route  to  India. 

3.  Say  how  they  set  about  the  task. 

4.  Why  were  the  new  sea-routes  necessary? 

5.  What  do  you  know  of  the  Cabots  and  their  famous 

voyages? 

4th  Period 

We  are  going  to  read  the  story  of  how  the  Portuguese 
were  the  first  to  double  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
discovered  a  sea-route  to  India. 

The  reading  will  be  three  days'  work,  and  the  ques- 
tions will  make  up  the  other  two  days. 

Read:  "Vasco  da  Gama  and  the  first  voyage  to  India 
round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,"  "Three  famous 
Voyages,"  pp.  25-47. 


230  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Questions: 

1.  Draw  a  map  illustrating  Vasco  da  Gama's  voyage 

to  India. 

2.  Give  the  names  of  the  three  vessels  and  their  com- 

manders. 

3.  Who  was  Davane?     Why  were  his  services  valu- 

able to  Da  Gama? 

ENGLISH  LITERATURE.     Contract  1. 
First  Assignment  Standard  V 


1st  Period 

This  month's  job  will  be  to  make  a  study  of  the 
Ballad. 

A  Ballad  is  a  simple  spirited  poem  which  tells  graph- 
ically some  well-known  incident. 

Repeat  to  yourself  the  nursery  rhyme: 

"Old  King  Cole  was  a  merry  old  soul, 
And  a  merry  old  soul  was  he." 

Count  the  number  of  syllables  in  each  line,  and  the 
number  of  accents.  When  you  read  the  three  Ballads 
we  have  chosen  you  will  find  they  were  written  in  this 
old  metre — it  is  the  popular  ballad  metre. 

"The  Revenge"  (A  Ballad  of  the  Fleet),  Tennyson 
(Boys'  Book  of  Poetry,  III). 
1.  Before  you  read  the  poem  take  from  the  shelf  in  the 
history  room  "Scenes  from  Tudor  Times."  You 
will  find  on  page  130  a  most  interesting  account  of 
the  last  fight  of  the  Revenge  by  Sir  Walter  Ral- 
eigh, who  was  alive  when  the  events  took  place 
and  had  first-hand  information.  Tennyson  based 
his  poem  on  this  account.  Read  Raleigh's  story 
carefully.     When  you  read  the  poem  you  will  be 


APPENDIX  I  231 

pleased  to  find  how  cleverly  the  poet  has  turned 
the  story  into  verse.     (This  is  one  day's  work.) 
Note:  "Whenever  you  read  a  poem: 

1.  Read  it  straight  through.    Get  a  general  idea  of  the 

thoughts  it  contains,  and  enter  into  the  rhythm  or 
beat  of  the  verse.  Do  not  stop  over  words  you  do 
not  understand. 

2.  Now  go  over  the  poem  again.    Do  not  pass  over  any 

word  or  passage  you  do  not  understand.  Your 
dictionary  will  help  a  good  deal.  Above  all, 
think  about  the  difficulty,  try  to  get  at  the  idea 
which  lies  behind  the  words.  Write  down  a  list 
of  the  words  you  have  had  to  look  up  and  learn 
them. 

3.  Now  read  the  poem  straight  through  again.     You 

will  enjoy  it  more  on  account  of  the  clearer  under- 
standing with  which  you  will  be  able  to  read  it. 

4.  Read  the  poem  in  the  way  suggested.     Find   the 

Azores  on  your  map    (off  the  coast  of  America). 

If  you  find  any  difficulty  you   cannot  solve  ask 

about  it.       (This  is  two  days'  work.) 
6.  Imagine  you  were  one  of  the  crew  of  the  Revenge. 

Write  an  account  of  the  fight.     (This  is  two  days' 

work. ) 
Hand  in  your  book  when  you  have  completed  the 
composition. 

2nd  Period 

"The  Defence  of  Lucknow,"  Tennyson  (Boys'  Book 
of  Poetry,  III). 
1.  Take  from  the  history  room  Warner's  "Survey  of 
British  History."  Read  the  account  of  the  Indian 
Mutiny,  pp.  222-225.  You  will  then  understand 
how  the  men,  women,  and  children  became  shut 
up  in  Lucknow.  Notice  who  the  leader  of  the 
defence  was,  and  who  led  the  relieving  force.  (One 
day's  work.) 


232  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2.  Read   the   poem   in  the   way   suggested  last   week. 

(Two  days'  work.) 

3.  Write   down   any   lines   which   you  think   specially 

striking.     If  you  can,  add  a  note  saying  why  you 
think  them  fine.     (One  day's  work.) 

4.  Can  you  see  any  ways  in  which  the  poet  makes  the 

story  vivid?     If  so,  say  what  they  are,  and  illus- 
trate with  lines  from  the  poem.     (One  day's  work.) 
Hand  in  your  book  when  you  have  completed  this 
poem. 

3rd  Period 

"The  Last  of  the  Eurydice,"  J.  N.  Paton  (Boys' 
Book  of  Poetry,  II). 

1.  Read  the  poem  in  the  way  suggested.     Note  the 

metre. 

2.  Follow  on  a  map  the  homeward  course  of  the  ship 

from  the  Indian  Sea.     Find  all  places  mentioned 
on  the  map. 

3.  Notice  how  the  poem  falls  naturally  into  the  follow- 

ing sections: 

Verses  1-2.     Introduction. 
Verses  3-5.     The  journey  home. 
Verses  6-8.     The  coming  of  the  storm. 
Verse        9.     The  wreck. 
A  poem  which  tells  a  story  always  follows  some  such 
definite  plan. 

4.  Write   an   account   of   the   breaking   of   the   storm. 

(Imagine  you  are  Fletcher.)      (This  will  count  as 
five  days'  work.) 

4th  Period 

Commit  to  memory  "The  Last  of  the  Eurydice.' ' 
Report  to  me  when  you  know  it.    (Four  days'  work.) 

Note  what  was  said  about  the  sections  into  which  a 
"story  poem"  can  be  divided.  Treat  "The  Re- 
venge" in  the  same  way  as  I  did  the  "Eurydice." 


APPENDIX   I  233 

"Write  the  divisions  in  your  book.   (One  day's  work.) 
Hand  in  your  book  when  you  have  finished. 

ARITHMETIC.    Contract  1. 
First  Assignment  Standard  V 

1st  Period 

This  month  you  will  spend  chiefly  in  revision  of 
Standard  IV  work.  Revision  simply  means  doing  some 
work  that  you  have  already  done  once,  over  again,  to 
make  sure  you  have  not  forgotten  it. 

Let  us  see  what  you  already  know.  You  know  some- 
thing about  Fractions  and  Simple  Decimals.  You  also 
know  the  Long  Rules.  By  Long  Rules  we  mean  long 
multiplication  and  long  divisions,  that  is,  multiplication 
and  division  by  bigger  numbers  than  12  without  using 
factors. 

For  the  first  week's  work,  then,  you  will  revise  the 
Long  Rules.  In  MacDougalFs  "Suggestive  Arithme- 
tic," Book  5,  you  will  find  examples  of  multiplication 
and  division  worked  for  you  on  page  2.  Study  these 
carefully,  and  ask  me  about  anything  you  don't  under- 
stand. Then  work  at  least  three  sums  out  of  each  of 
the  exercises  A  and  B.  That  will  count  for  two  days* 
work.  Then  work  Exercise  5  in  the  "New  Sovereign 
Arithmetic,"  Book  5,  either  X  or  Y.  That  will  be  three 
days'  work. 

As  soon  as  you  have  finished  an  exercise  bring  it  out 
to  be  corrected. 

2nd  Period 

The  second  week's  work  will  still  be  revision  of  Long 
Rules,  but  this  time  you  will  multiply  and  divide  sums 
of  money,  weights,  and  measures,  etc. 

In  MacDougall's  "Suggestive  Arithmetic,"  Book  5 
(in  future  we  will  call  them  just  "suggestive")  you 
will  find  several  examples  worked  for  you  on  pages  4 
and  6.    Read  these  carefully  and  then  work  one  sum 


234  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

of  each  kind  out  of  the  exercises.     You  should  then 

be  able  to  turn  to  page  11  and  work  either  A,  B,  or 

C.  If  you  prefer  it,  work  either  X  or  Y  of  Exercise 

25  in  the  "New  Sovereign, "  page  7. 

3rd  Period 

There  are  some  short  ways  of  multiplying  and  divid- 
ing by  certain  numbers.  You  will  find  some  of  them 
mentioned  on  page  11  of  "Elementary  Workshop 
Arithmetic."  Pay  particular  attention  to  multiplying 
and  dividing  by  25  and  125.  In  some  of  these  you  will 
have  to  use  your  knowledge  of  Decimals. 

For  the  first  two  days,  make  up  some  easy  examples 
of  your  own  in  the  short  multiplication  and  division  by 
25  and  125.  You  can  test  your  answers  by  the  long 
method.  For  the  next  three  days'  work  read  what  it 
says  about  Measures  of  Numbers  in  "New  Sovereign, " 
5,  and  work  X  or  Y  of  Exercise  27. 

4th  Period 

For  this  fourth  week's  work  you  will  learn  what  it 
says  on  page  9  of  "New  Sovereign,"  5,  about  Multiples 
of  Numbers. 

There  are  two  ways  of  finding  the  L.C.M.  I  think 
the  second  way  (by  factors)  is  the  easier  for  what  you 
want.  You  will  find  this  work  useful  when  you  come 
to  do  Addition  and  Subtraction  of  Vulgar  Fractions. 

Learning  the  meaning  of  the  terms,  and  understand- 
ing the  examples  given,  counts  for  two  days'  work. 
Exercise  28  (either  X  or  Y)  is  one  day's  work. 
Exercise  29  (either  X  or  Y)  is  two  days'  work. 

NATURE,  SCIENCE,  AND  DRAWING.    Contract  2. 

First  Assignment  Standard  VI 

1st  Period 

1.  The  first  subject  for  study  is  the  working  of  soil. 
You  have  seen  men  digging,  hoeing,  raking,  and 


APPENDIX  I  235 

weeding  gardens  and  allotments,  but  do  you  know 
why  they  do  it?  You  will  be  able  to  gather  some 
useful  information  from  "The  Vegetable  Garden," 
chap.  v.  This  is  one  day's  work.  When  you  have 
read  the  chapter  write  down  the  reasons  for  trench- 
ing heavy  soil.     (This  is  two  days'  work.) 

2.  Construct  a  scale  1  in.  to  1  ft.  and  draw  the  front 

of  the  cupboard  to  that  scale.  (This  is  two  days' 
work.) 

3.  Draw  the  objects  set  up  for  you.    (One  day's  work.) 

2nd  Period 

1.  Last  week  you  learned  the  value  of  working  soil,  and 

how  it  enabled  plants  to  get  at  their  food.  This 
week  we  shall  find  out  what  that  food  consists  of. 
Read  the  paragraph  on  the  Plant  Foods,  page  36  in 
the  "Vegetable  Garden,"  as  far  as  "cheapness  of 
them"  on  page  43. 
Answer  questions  14  and  15  on  page  49.  (This  will 
count  for  two  days'  work.) 

2.  Construct  a  scale  1%  in.  to  1  ft.  and  draw  the  black- 

board to  scale.     (This  is  two  days'  work.) 

3.  Draw  the  objects  set  up.     (This  is  one  day's  work.) 

3rd  Period 

1.  This  week  we  continue  the  study  of  Plant  Foods.  You 

must  gather  what  you  can  from  page  43  about 
Fertilizers.  Read  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  (This 
is  one  day's  work.)  Answer  question  10  on  page 
49.     (This  will  count  for  another  day's  work.) 

2.  Construct  a  scale  2  in.  to  1  ft.  to  read  4  foot  and 

showing  inches.  Draw  to  that  scale  the  top  of  your 
desk.     (This  is  two  days'  work.) 

3.  Select  an  object  at  home,  study  it  carefully  and 

draw  it  from  memory  at  school. 


236  THE  DALTON  PLAN 


4th  Period 

1.  This  week  I  want  you  to  learn  all  you  can  about 

farmyard  manure.     You  must  read  pages  40-43. 
(One  day's  work.)     Answer  me  the  following  ques- 
tions in  your  books: 
"What  are  the  chief  plant  foods  and  what  effect  each 
has  on  plants?     (This  is  one  day's  work.) 

2.  Take  a  scale  of  1  in.  to  1  yard  and  draw  a  plan  of 

the  room.     (This  is  two  days'  work.) 

3.  Draw  the  objects  set  up  for  you. 

ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM  SEVERAL  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS 
WHERE  THE  TEACHERS  SPECIALIZE 

Contract  II  1922  HISTORY  Class  II 

1st  Week 

Our  last  contract  closed  with  a  study  of  Town  Life 
in  early  Tudor  days;  we  shall  now  note  the  changes 
that  are  seen  by  the  end  of  the  period.  Study  "Town 
Life  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  Days,"  chap.  vii.  p.  v.  In 
your  note-book  set  out  a  clear  statement  of  the  changes, 
and  account  for  them.     Come  to  me  for  extra  reading. 

2nd  Week 

We  shall  now  begin  a  study  of  the  changes  in  religion 
and  how  they  affected  the  people.  Study  chap,  iii,  p.  v, 
"The  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries."  Learn  the  an- 
swers to  these  questions: 

What  good  work  had  monasteries  done  during  the 
warlike  Middle  Ages? 

Why  were  they  no  longer  so  greatly  needed? 


APPENDIX  I  237 

Why  did  Henry  VIII  want  to  get  rid  of  them? 

How  did  he  set  about  it?  What  happened  to  priors, 
monks,  building  land,  other  treasures,  e.g.,  books,  plate, 
carved  oak? 

What  did  the  poor  think  about  it? 

3rd  Week 

Let  us  now  consider  the  changes  in  the  parish 
churches  from  chap,  iv,  p.  v.  Find  out  and  jot  down 
the  condition  of  the  Church  and  its  services  before  the 
Reformation  ? 

After  the  Reformation? 

Notice  that  now  the  King  was  Head  of  the  Church, 
fresh  changes  came  with  every  new  sovereign.  Place  a 
record  of  the  changes  under  the  name  of  each  sovereign 
in  whose  reign  they  took  place. 

4th  Week 

This  week  I  want  you  to  read  all  you  can  about 
Wolsey.  Begin  with  ''Builders  of  History,"  Book  III. 
He  is  an  example  of  a  great  churchman  in  the  days 
before  the  Reformation,  when  churchmen  took  also  high 
positions  in  the  State.  Other  books  about  Wolsey  shall 
be  placed  on  the  table. 

GEOGRAPHY 

Last  month's  contract  gave  us  a  study  of  Highlands. 
This  month  we  will  consider  the  Lowland  countries  of 
Holland  and  Belgium.  Read  in  Palmer's  "Europe," 
p.  92,  the  chapter  on  an  ocean  conquest,  to  see  what  a 
fight  the  Dutch  had  to  win  and  secure  their  land  from 
the  sea.  Study  from  the  next  chapter  the  appearance 
of  this  flat  land  and  the  work  of  the  Dutch  upon  it. 
Learn  points  of  interest  about  the  towns  from  pp.  88, 
89,  and  all  there  is  about  Holland  in  T.B. 


238  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2nd  Week 

This  week  I  want  you  to  read  as  many  descriptive 
extracts  about  Holland  as  you  can,  then  depict  in  words : 
"A  Dutch  Scene"  as  Composition  in  Geography. 

Note-books.  The  books  available  will  be  indicated  on 
board. 

3rd  Week 

I  should  like  every  girl  to  read  chap,  vii  in  the  little 
green  book  "Europe  and  Britain";  and  also  to  study 
Belgium  from  Palmer,  pp.  103,  108,  and  from  Townley, 
as  well  as  from  T.B. 

Jot  down  the  reasons  for  her  being  such  a  prosperous 
little  country.  Eead  all  you  can  about  Brussels,  Bruges, 
Ghent,  Antwerp,  Namur,  Liege,  Mons. 

4th  Week 

This  week  we  will  take  some  practical  map  work.  Trace 
the  outlines  of  Scandinavia,  the  Netherlands,  France,  and 
Switzerland,  separately ;  paste  the  tracings  on  cardboard 
and  cut  out.  All  maps  of  countries  should  be  on  the 
same  scale  so  that  you  can  fit  them  together.  This  will 
help  you  to  visualize  their  shape  and  their  relation  to 
one  another.  Still  continue  to  read  stories  and  extracts 
about  the  western  countries  of  Europe. 

Group  4  GEOGRAPHY  Standard  IV 

1st  Month 

I.  Position  of  England  in  world.     (Old  lesson.) 
Study  chap,  i,  Lay's  "British  Isles." 
Questions: 

1.  Why  is  it  cooler  in  England  than  in  Africa? 

2.  Why  are  there  fishing  towns  on  the  east  coast  of 

British  Isles? 


APPENDIX  I  239 

3.  Why  has  Britain  become  the  greatest  naval  power 
in  the  world? 

II.  Oral  Lesson.    Making  of  weather  chart. 
Question:    Trace  outline  map  of  England;  shade  places 

where  wheat  is  grown. 

III.  Study  chap,  ii,  pp.  12-15,  in  *■' Human  Geography." 
Oral.  Lesson.    Orchard  lands. 

1.  On  outline  map  shade  in  parts  where  fruit  is  grown. 

2.  Show  what  the  fruit  farmers'  work  is  from  spring 

to  autumn. 

3.  Explain  why  fruit  is  grown  so  plentifully  in  Kent. 

2nd  Month 

I.  Oral  Lesson.    Making  of  weather  chart.    (For  those 

who  have  completed  previous  syllabus.) 
Questions: 

1.  Draw  a  map  of  south-east  England  and  put  in  the 

high  ground  and  the  orchard  lands. 

2.  Copy  the  diagrams  showing  the  positions  of  Canter- 

bury and  Maidstone. 

II.  Study  chap,  iii,  pp.  22,  26,  "Pennine  Moorlands.' ' 

1.  Describe  a  journey  from  the  valleys  up  to  the 
Pennine  moorlands. 

III.  Study  chap,  iii,  pp.  26-29,  "Pennine  Moorlands." 
1.  Draw  a  map  of  the  Pennine  moorlands,  showing  and. 

naming  gaps,  and  mark  in  the  railways. 

IV.  Test. 

3rd  Month 

Oral  Lesson  List. 

1.  The  course  of  a  river:  its  uses. 

2.  Contour  lines :  how  they  are  made  from  model. 

3.  Interpretation  of  contour  lines  or  how  to  under- 

stand what  a  country  looks  like  by  looking  at 
contour  lines  (mountains,  valleys,  etc.). 


240  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Private  Study. 

I.  Study  chap,  iv,  pp.  30-33. 

Make  notes  on  following  questions : 

1.  Why  must  a  market  town  be  in  a  good  position 

for  trade  ?  Say  what  you  think  a  good  position 
means. 

2.  Explain  the  position  of  York.     Show  why  the 

Romans  and  Normans  chose  it  as  a  town  and 
built  a  castle  there.  Name  the  river  flowing 
through  it. 

3.  What  kind  of  things  would  you  expect  to  find 

on  sale  at  York  ? 

4.  Draw  diagram  showing  position  of  York. 

II.  Study  pp.  33-38.    Answer  some  questions  on  Carlisle 

and  Lancaster  as  were  asked  about  York. 
Note  why  counties  were  divided  into  shires  and 
what  marked  the  divisions. 

III.  Study  pp.  41-44.     Make  notes  on  woollen  manu- 

facture:   (a)    at   home,    (&)    in   factories.     Use 
Encyclopedia,  pp.  26,  262,  359,  750. 


4th  Month 

I.  Drawing  of  sections  from  contour  map. 

Study  pp.  43-46  and  make  notes  on  the  manufac- 
ture of  cotton  goods  from  the  growing  of  cotton, 
to  the  finishing  of  the  cloth. 

II.  Short  oral  lesson  on  " Docks."    Study  pp.  47-51. 
(a)  Why  is  it  necessary  to  have  harbours — what  kind 

of  things  do  ships  carry  to  and  from  England? 
Why  is  water  transport  cheaper  than  land? 
Describe  or  draw  two  kinds  of  harbours. 
What  part  of  a  river  is  called  the  estuary? 
What  is  a  "Dry  Dock";  what  kind  of  work  is 

done  there? 


APPENDIX  I  241 

III.  Study  pp.  51-58. 

1.  Why  is  the  Humber  estuary  very  suitable  for  a 

port? 
What  is  the  port  there  and  what  trade  does  it  do  ? 

2.  Why  is  the  estuary  of  the  Mersey  a  good  place  for 

a  cotton  port! 
On  what  part  of  the  river  is  Liverpool? 

3.  Why  was  Liverpool  unimportant  until  recently, 

and  why  has  it  now  become  second  in  impor- 
tance ? 

4.  What  is  meant  by  exports  and  imports? 

5.  Which  is  the  biggest  cotton  market?     Why  was 

the  Manchester  Ship  Canal  cut? 
IV. 

1.  Why  is  Newcastle  an  important  town? 

(a)  Note  position  at  important  cross  roads. 
(&)  Note  estuary, 
(c)  Note  work  done. 

2.  Where  does  food  for  factory  towns  come  from? 

3.  Make  notes  on  fishing — say  where  each  kind  is 

found:   (a)  those  caught  with  a  drift  net,   (&); 
those  caught  with  hook. 

4.  What  are  fishing  smacks  and  trawlers? 

5.  Copy  fig.  19,  p.  58,  showing  Dogger  Bank,  Yar- 

mouth Roads,  and  fishing  towns. 

ENGLISH  (10  years); 

3rd  Week 

Composition. 

A  Description.  If  it  is  well  done  I  shall  be  able  to 
picture  it  in  my  mind,  seeing  every  little  detail — just 
as  you  were  able  to  do  in  the  sentences  of  last  week's 
language  lesson. 

Now,  of  course,  it  is  impossible  to  give  me  something 
you  don't  possess.    So  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that 


242  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

you  should  have  a  clear  picture  before  you  write  a 
word. 

Choose  your  subject,  then  forget  everything  else,  close 
your  eyes,  and  let  the  picture  form  into  shape.  Do  not 
stop  at  the  first  flash,  but  stay  till  you  have  every  detail, 
just  as  though  you  were  on  the  spot  really  looking. 

Choose  your  subject  from  the  following: 

1.  Describe  the  scene  at  a  busy  railway  station. 

2.  Describe  a  house  on  fire. 

3.  (For  A  and  B  only.)     Describe  any  particular 

place  on  an  autumn  morning. 

Language. 

The  lesson  this  week  needs  careful  thought. 
1st  Day.  Study  the  sentences  given  on  pp.  39-40  (Les- 
son 18). 

Think  over  the  words  given  in  black  type.  They  show 
you  something  very  useful  to  you  in  your  composi- 
tion. By  changing  a  word  a  little,  we  may  give  it 
another  use.  In  the  words  given  you,  notice  the 
change  made.  "With  these  words  notice  how  we  can 
compare  things. 

You  are  to  stop  at  the  line  on  p.  41,  and  do  the  exer- 
cise on  p.  41. 
2nd  Day.  Study  the  rest  of  the  lesson.  There  is  some- 
thing very  important  to  learn  here.  Find  out  what 
it  is  and  learn  before  Thursday,  when  I  shall  ask 
you  about  it.    Do  Exercise  VII. 

Reading. 

Chaps.  6,  7,  8. 

Read  through  the  questions,  to  remind  yourself  first. 
Make  a  list  of  all  the  words  you  do  not  know  the  mean- 
ing of.  Try  to  find  out  by  the  way  it  is  used  in  the 
book  or  by  asking. 


APPENDIX  I  243 

ENGLISH 
Class  IV.    (Average  age  10  years)! 

4th  Week 

Composition. 

A  Description. 

Turn  to  p.  50,  N.E.  Books.  Read  through  the  whole 
of  Lesson  22,  picturing  each  little  description. 

Now  think  about  your  subject  for  the  week.  Close 
your  eyes  and  picture  it.  Arrange  your  time  so  that 
you  do  this  just  before  you  have  an  opportunity  of 
actually  studying  it.  Compare  your  mind  picture  with 
the  real  one.  See  where  your  thoughts  were  clear,  and 
study  the  hazy  ideas  carefully  to  get  those  clear  too. 
Every  little  detail  must  appear  in  your  description. 

Do  not  forget  that  you  cannot  describe  well  without 
good,  fitting  adjectives.  Lesson  9  will  give  you  illustra- 
tions of  this: 

Subjects  : 

(a)  Describe  someone  whom  you  know  well. 
(6)  Describe  the  picture  of  the  Red  Indian  Chiefs 
round  their  camp  fire. 

Language. 

Joining  words.    Lesson  19. 

After  this  lesson  you  will  be  privileged  to  use  "and" 
and  "but"  in  joining  sentences.  In  most  cases  you 
have  used  these  words,  especially  "and,"  badly  and 
repeatedly. 

Study  the  sentences  on  p.  43.  Find  out  when  "and" 
is  the  best  word  for  joining.  Find  out  why.  You  will 
now  be  able  to  make  use  of  it  in  a  similar  way  in  your 
compositions.     Study  the  use  of  "but"  as  a  joining 


244  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

word.  It  is  only  the  best  word  for  joining  when  used 
in  this  way. 

You  may  complete  the  sentences  on  the  next  page 
using  "and"  or  "but"  correctly.  Write  them  in  your 
private  notebooks. 

Third  day's  language  will  be  a  test  on  the  work  you 
have  studied  during  the  month. 

Reading. 

Complete  "The  Cuckoo  Clock." 
Answer  the  questions  (on  paper). 

Div.  I  (a)  ENGLISH  Contract  I 

Assignment  2  (age  13) 

This  week  we  shall  continue  with  Sentence  Structure 
(see  Lesson  5). 

The  model  paragraph  given  illustrates  the  use  of  two 
classes  of  verbs.    What  are  they  ?    What  is  their  effect  ? 

Notice  further  that  action  dtnoted  by  a  Transitive 
Verb  can  be  expressed  in  two  ways.  These  two  forms 
of  the  Transitive  Verb  secure  variety  in  structure. 

Examine  the  paragraph  carefully,  and  analyse  its 
build.    Then  write  the  answer  to  Exercise  I,  p.  42. 

The  Essay  which  you  prepared  in  the  rough  last  week 
must  come  in  this  week  in  its  finished  state. 

Additional  Work  for  Keen  People. 

Change  the  following  sentences  from  loose  to  periodic, 
and  state  the  difference  in  emphasis: 

1.  The  child  pocketed  the  money  and  tucked  the 

bread  under  his  thin  little  arm,  and  trudged 
out  of  the  shop. 

2.  Just  then  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands, 

for  she  could  not  bear  to  watch  the  ascent. 


APPENDIX  I  245 

3.  He  waited,  standing  in  a  bright  spot,  surrounded 

by  glittering  windows  filled  with  bright 
colours. 

4.  It  had  been  snowing  in  a  leisurely  way  all  the 

long  dreary  day,  so  that  the  roofs  and  window- 
sills  of  the  tiny  scattered  cottages  in  the  little 
village  on  the  mountain  were  piled  high  with 
thick  white  covers  of  spotless  snow. 

Assignment  3 

You  should  enjoy  the  study  set  for  this  week,  its  title 
suggests  pleasure.  Extract  all  the  beauty  that  lurks 
in  the  example  before  you  in  Lesson  6,  and  feel  the 
power  of  the  figures  of  speech  illustrated. 

It.  L.  Stevenson  was  a  master  of  the  art  of  hitting 
upon  the  most  striking  comparison.  In  your  reading, 
especially  of  his  works,  be  always  on  the  look-out  for 
illustrations. 

Answer  Exercise  I,  p.  46,  writing  one  thought  about 
each  idea.  State  in  each  case  whether  you  have  used 
Metaphor  or  Simile. 

Essay.  Stevenson  says  we  get  entertainment  pretty 
much  in  proportion  as  we  give.  And  this  is  one 
reason  why  the  world  is  dull  to  dull  persons.  Illus- 
trate this  thought.    See  "An  Inland  Voyage." 

Class  II  4  ASSIGNMENTS  Contract  II 

(Girls  aged  11  and  12  years) 

Arithmetic  Assignment 
I. 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Metric  System? 

2.  Write  the  prefixes  which  denote  100  times,  -n^nr, 

-jJfr,  10  times,  and  y^. 

3.  What  is  the  Metric  unit  of    (1)    capacity,    (2) 

weight,  (3)  coinage,  (4)  length? 


246  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

4.  What  is  the  English  equivalent  of  (1)  a  litre,  (2) 

a  kilogramme,  (3)  a  metre? 
Work  Loney,  page  70.    Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5. 

"       "       "      9,  10,  11,  12. 

"       "       "      13,  14,  15,  16. 

II. 

What  is  a  multiple  of  a  given  number? 

What  do  you  understand  by  "a  common  multiple  of 

two  or  more  numbers"? 
What  is  the  least  Common  Multiple  of  such  numbers  ? 
What  is  a  prime  number? 

How  do  you  find  the  L.C.M.  of  two  prime  numbers? 
Give  the  L.C.M.  of  4  and  5,  8  and  9,  1  and  7,  14  and 

15,  19  and  3,  16  and  7,  24  and  13. 
Break  up   the  following  numbers  into  their  prime 

factors:    18,  104,  35,  26,  32,  96,  54. 
What  is  the  L.C.M.  of  4  and  6,  9  and  6,  2  and  9,  8 

and  12,  21  and  9,  35  and  15,  21  and  49,  24  and 

35? 
Work  Loney,  page  22.   Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4. 

"       "       "     5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10. 

III. 

What  do  you  understand  by  (1)  a  proper  fraction, 
(2)  an  improper  fraction,  (3)  a  mixed  number? 
Work  Loney,  page  27.    Nos.  4-9. 


it              tt 

"     27. 

u 

15-20. 

tt              tt 

"     29. 

a 

1-8. 

tt              tt 

"     30. 

tt 

4-8. 

it              ti 

"     30. 

a 

9-12,  14, 

T. 

Work  Loney, 

page  31. 

Nos. 

12-16. 

tt         tt 

"     31. 

n 

21-25. 

tt         u 

"     32. 

tt 

15-22. 

it               tt 

"     33. 

tt 

19-23. 

tt               tt 

11     33. 

tt 

41-44. 

I 

Assignments  from  Elementary  Schools  Worli 

One  teacher  assigns  the  work  to  b' 


CONTRACT  ASSIGNMEi: 


ARITHMETIC. 

HISTORY. 

General  Tests,  to  include 
at  Least  Five  Sums. 

Prep. 

Tests. 

Handwork. 

Jan.  13 

Memorize.  Easy  Decimals  and 

Write  complete  notes  on 

Write  an  account 

Make  plans 
of  the 

Wri 

Percentages. 

France  throughout  the 

of  the 

in: 

f  Clock  Sums. 

century: 

French 

Battles  of 

11 

Revise.  <  Race  Sums. 

Settlement,  1815; 

Revolutionary 

Trafalgar. 

Cc 

(  Speed  Sums. 

Revol.  agst.  Absolutism; 

Wars 

Waterloo. 

'11 

Tott.  Practice,  3. 

Revol.  agst.  Capitalism; 

under  Periods. 

Tt 

Study.  Proportional  Tests. 

Revol.  agst.  Imperialism; 

Gi 

General  Tests.  3. 

A  Republic. 

Giv 
»hi 
mi 

20 

Practical.  Model  (  Long, 

Draw  up  a  chart  of  the 

Compare  the 
methods  of  govt. 

Draw  and  cui 

Oir 

to  show:            i  Square, 

Revolutions  in  Europe  in 

out  six 

c 

1  Cub.  Meas. 

1830, 

in  European 

suitable 

D._--»    /  S.  and  C.  Interest. 
Kense.  <  g  ftnd  c  proportion. 

1848. 

Countries  in 

illustrations 

V 

1815-1919. 

of  English 

< 

Study.  Metric  System. 

Give  Causes  and  Results. 

History, 

Speed  Test.  Std.  IV,  i  hr. 

Explain  and  give 

1815-1848. 

General  Teati.  2. 

dates  of  changes. 

Nai 

27 

Memorize.  Wide  Measure. 

Write  notes  on  the  Coloni- 

Explain in 

On  a  map  of 

Cor 

f  Reductions. 

zation  of  Europ.  Countries 

own  words 

the  world 

Can 

Revise.     <  Bringingtodec.and% 

in 

six  important 

show  by  flags 

I  Irreg.  Areas. 

Asia, 

European 

colonies  of 

Clii 

Study.  Exchange  Sums. 

Africa, 

Treaties. 

European 

Speed  Test.  Mechan.  Rates. 

America. 

Dates, 

Countries. 

General  Tests.  2. 

Clauses. 

V. 

M 
Ic 

Feb.  3 

Practical.  Draw  to  scale: 

Make    a    chart,    showing 

Show  why  the 

Make  a  clay 

Stu 

H.  water,  j  Allow 

chief  events  of  century, 

period  after  1870 

model  of 

of; 

Ceiling,     i  fireplace, 

in 

is  called  the 

a  Battleship 

and 

Floor.         1  window. 

Germany, 

Era  of  Alliances. 

or 

fere 

f  L.C.M.,  H.C.F., 

Italy, 

Aeroplane 

phy 

p„™.„    J  Practice, 
Rense.  <  Red  of  y j} 

England, 

or 

and 

France, 

Submarine. 

and 

[  D.F.  of  %. 

Russia. 

Study.  Stocks. 

Speed  Test.  Std.  V. 

General  Tests.  2. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  FOR  Ex.  ^ 


One  hour  extra  per  week  may  be  spent  on  / 
Individual  records  must  be  kept,  showing  c 


Z  on  the  Dalton  Plan  without  Specialisation 

e  by  her  own  class  in  all  subjects 


No.  3),  JANUARY,  1922. 


GEOGRAPHY. 


Tests. 


Handwork. 


Name   a   region 
of: 

Enterprise, 

Backwardness, 

Large  Popul., 

Waste, 

Advantages, 

Disadvan- 
tages. 

Describe  them. 


Show  how  far 
Britain  is  self- 
supporting  and 
how  far  de- 
pendent in: 

Commodities, 

Trade. 


Draw  a 

Route  Map 

of  World, 

showing 

Cargoes. 


Make  a  Clay 
Model  of 
River 
Valley, 
Mtn.  Range. 


ENGLISH. 


Debate.  Girl  Guides. 

Essay.  Washington  Conference. 
Reply  to  following- 
Office  boy,  smart,  good  hand- 
writing, accurate  figures, 
Apply,  stating  full  particulars, 
to  C.  Kent  and  Co.,  4  High 
St.,  Boston. 

Write  a  few  lines  to  illustrate  all 
punctuation  marks  you  know. 


Debate.  Children  and  Cinema 
Shows. 

Essay.  Story  of  Ireland. 

Telegram  enquiring  for  watch  left 
behind  at  holiday  boarding 
house. 

Describe  the  most  striking  ad- 
vertisement you  have  seen. 

Analyze  a  poem. 


LITERATURE. 


"  Fifth  Form  at  St.  Dominic's" 
(Read  half). 
"  Nature  and  the  Poet." 
Wordsworth. 
(Summarize.) 
"Twelfth  Night." 

Continue    2nd    Scene,    ten 
lines. 
Select  Prose  Extract. 


"  Fifth  Form  at  St.  Dominic's  " 

(Read  to  end). 
"  Realm  of  Fancy."     Keats. 

Short  notes  and  favourite 

lines. 

"Twelfth  Night." 

Scene  continued. 
Memorize  Prose  Extract. 


In  India  and 

Canada, 

mention  and 

describe  all 

special  regions 

of  industry. 


Make  a 

Cardboard 

Model  of 

C.P.R. 


Debate.  L.C.C.  Economy. 

Essay.  The  "  Quest." 

JlfaJfce  a  list  of  chief  points  you 
would  expect  from  a  boy  or 
girl  seeking  situation  in  your 
office. 

The  Use  of  the  Telephone. 

Three  Nouns  from  Verbs. 

Three  Verbs  from  Adjectives. 

Three  Adjectives  from  Adverbs. 


"Fifth  Form  at  St.  Dominic's" 
(Short  argument  of  Story). 

"Ode  to  Autumn."     Keats. 
(Paraphase  any  twelve 
lines.) 

"Twelfth  Night." 

(Fully  describe  two  charac- 
ters.) 

Select  Historical  Poem. 


Draw  Sketch 
Map  of,  and 

describe, 
Asia  Minor. 
Show  its  main 
communica- 
tions. 


Make  a 
Cardboard 
Model  of 

Globe, 

colouring 

Climatic 

Belts. 


Debate.     Domestic  Centres. 

Essay.  London  Sales. 

Make  out  handbill  for  entertain- 
ment in  aid  of  Local  Charity. 

"  Myself."    A  description. 

Give  examples  of:_ 

Direct  and  Indirect  Speech. 
Active  and  Passive  Voice. 
Direct  and  Indirect  Object. 


"Fifth  Form  at  St.  Dominic's." 
Characters,  | 
Scenes,      >  Notes. 
Setting.    J 
Make  lists,  with  authors,  of 
poems  on 
Birds, 
Flowers, 


_  Love. 
Memoriae  Historical  Poem. 


711   WHEN  FINISHED  ASSIGNMENT). 


vorite  Subject;  ^ut 

national  Subject  (to  aid  future  career), 
i  of  Subjects  Studied. 


To  face  page  2^7. 


APPENDIX  I  247 


ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  WORKING 
ON    THE    DALTON    PLAN    WITHOUT 
SPECIALIZATION 

One  teacher  assigns  the  work  to  be  done  by  her  own 
class  in  all  subjects.  In  this  same  way  the  Dalton 
Plan  could  be  used  by  teachers  of  ungraded  or  rural 
schools. 


See  Contract  Assignment  Chart,  folded  insert 

B 

Corrections  to  be  done  first 

ARITHMETIC.  Longman,  pp.  29  and  30. 

ENGLISH.  Lay,  Exercises  30,  30.    Write  from  memory 
''Winter." 
Write  your  impressions  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

LITERATURE.  Read  two  more  "Parables  from 
Nature"  stories.  Write  titles  in  literature  books 
of  all  the  Parables  and  poems  you  know. 

GEOGRAPHY.  Lay's  "Europe,"  chaps.  3  and  4. 

Questions: 

1.  Draw  a  sketch  map  of  the  English  Channel  with 

the  help  of  the  book ;  then  without  the  book,  put 
in  the  chief  ports  (both  French  and  English) 
and  ocean  routes. 

2.  Giving  about  five  lines  to  each,  tell  what  you  know 

of  the  following:     Landes,  Seine  and  its  basin, 
Paris,  Riviera,  and  Marseilles. 

3.  What  is  the  importance  of:  (a)  Toulon,  (6)  Canal 

du  Midi,  (c)  Lille? 
What  are  the  most  important  products  of  France? 


248  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

HISTORY.  "The  New  Liberty,"  pp.  32-51. 
Questions: 

1.  As  concisely  as  possible  give  the  character  of  Henry} 

VIII. 

2.  What  do  you  know  of:  (a)  the  Battle  of  the  Spurs* 

(&)  the  Battle  of  Flodden  Field? 
Give  the  causes,  results,  and  dates  in  both  cases. 

3.  Describe  the  character  of  Thomas  Wolsey ;  give  the 

chief  events  in  his  life. 

4.  Explain  fully  why  Luther  has  been  given  auch  a 

high  place  in  the  world's  history. 

PAPER  L 

GEOGRAPHY.  "Russia,  MacKinder."  266-274. 

Lay,  91-103. 
Questions: 

1.  Prepare  103-104,  Lay. 

2.  Sketch  map  on  p.  98,  Lay. 
Reference  Book:  Herbertoors,  63-66. 

ENGLISH. 

1.  Prepare  a  speech. 

2.  Write  a  letter  to  a  miser  pointing  out  the  absurdity 

of  his  life.    Be  courteous  and  convincing. 

3.  Spelling.    L.  March  68-73. 

4.  Study  "The  Merchant  of  Venice." 

HISTORY.  Oliver  Cromwell.    John  Drinkwater. 

Piers  Plowman.      92-101. 
Questions: 

1.  Had  you  been  alive  in  the  Civil  War  on  what  sida 

would  you  have  been  on  and  why! 

2.  Your  opinion  of  Wentworth :  what  makes  you  hold 

that  opinion? 

3.  State  briefly  what  led  to  the  Civil  War. 
4a.  What  do  you  know  of  the  Ironsides? 

4&.  What  was  the  Self  Denying  Ordnance?     Why 
was  it  necessary. 


Appendix  II 

ASSIGNMENTS  WHICH  HAVE  BEEN  USED 

IN  THE  COUNTY  SECONDAKY  SCHOOL, 

STEEATHAM 

HISTORY  SYLLABUS  IX 

Form  IV 
Aged  14. 

Subjects  for  Study: 

The  Commonwealth,  1649-1660. 

1.  The  different  attempts  to  rule  England  after  death, 

1649. 

2.  The  Foreign  Policy  of  Cromwell. 

3.  Failure  of  the  Puritan  Rule  under  Richard  Crom- 

well.   Events  leading  to  the  return  of  the  King$ 

&'.  Attempts  to  Rule  England. 

1.  Notice  King  and  House  of  Lords  abolished.    A 

Council  of   State   established.     What  really 
was  the  power  behind  this? 

2.  Study  how  Cromwell  tried  to  rule  with  Parlia- 

ment.   Why  did  the  rule  of  the  Saints'  (Bare- 
bone's)  Parliament  fail? 
3.  Army  now  plans  Instrument  of  Government, 
1653.    Make  notes  on  its  terms.    Notice  how 
Cromwell  still  attempts  to  rule  with  Parlia- 
249 


250  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

ment.  Failure — because  that  body  refuses  to 
govern,  but  discusses  instead. 

4.  Government  now  falls  back  to  the  Army.    Note 
the  powers  of  the  Major-Generals.    Why  were 
they  hated? 

5.  Last  op  Cromwell's  Parliaments. 

Study  the  document  Humble  Petition  and 
Advice.  What  addition  was  made  to  the  Gov- 
ernment ? 

Notice  Cromwell's  work  in  Scotland  and  Ireland 
to  crush  the  Royalists. 
Exercise:  How  far  did  Cromwell  carry  out  in  his 

government  the  principles  for  which  Parliament 

had  fought  in  the  Civil  War? 

2.  Cromwell's  Foreign  Policy. 

1.  Study  the  ideas  underlying  Cromwell's  relations 

with  foreign  countries.  Note  his  attitude  to 
France,  Spain,  and  Holland.  Make  an  esti- 
mate of  his  prestige  amongst  foreign  powers. 

2.  Notice  the  use  of  the  Fleat  in  (1)   capture  of 

Jamaica,  1655,  (2)  destruction  of  pirates,  (3) 
war  with  Holland. 

3.  Events  between  Death  of  Cromwell  and  Restora- 

tion op  Charles  II,  1660. 

- 

(a)  Study  character  of  Richard  Cromwell  and  his 

failure  to  rule 
(6)  Notice  carefully  signs  which  indicate  a  desire 

to  return  to  old  methods  of  government. 

(c)  Part  played  by  the  Army  and  General  Monk. 

(d)  Declaration  of  Breda.    Return  of  Charles  II. 

Where  had  he  been  ?    Terms  of  return. 
Think  over  and  discuss  the  following  questions : 
Was  the  Civil  War  in  vain,  as  the  Commonwealth 
was  overthrown  on  the  return  of  the  King?    What 


APPENDIX  II  251 

good  to  England  remained  as  a  legacy  from  the 

period  of  Puritan  rule? 
Books:  "Warner  and  Marten,  Part  II;  Tout;  Thom- 
son; ''Piers  Plowman,"  Book  VII;  "Documents,"  pp. 
571-586;    Milton's    "Poems    on    Cromwell";    Novel: 
"Woodstock/'  by  Scott. 

GEOGRAPHY  SYLLABUS  IX 
For  Girls  of  15,  after  a  year's  work  on  the  British  Isles 

Lower  V  (4  periods  per  week) 

Subject  for  Study: 

A  survey  of  the  commerce  of  the  British  Isles — the 
reasons  for  the  position  of  the  United  Kingdom  in 
the  trade  of  the  world. 

1.  Natural  Advantages  of  British  Isles. 

Study  the  position  of  British  Isles  with  regard 
to  Europe  and  the  surrounding  seas.  World 
position.  Note  harbours,  river  mouths,  and 
ports.  Think  over  the  advantages  of  the 
climate  of  British  Isles  and  the  consequences 
of  these  advantages  upon  products. 

2.  Our  Food  Supply. 

Make  a  survey  of  agriculture  during  the  last 
twenty  years. 
Home       Notice  home  supply  of  meat  and  its  inade- 
supplies.     quacy.     Study  the  fishing  industry,  distri- 
bution of  fish  for  home  and  export  consump- 
tion. 
Foreign   From  where  do  we  obtain  wheat  and  other 


252  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Supplies,     grains?    Source  of  our  meat  supplies,  fruit 
and  dairy  produce  from  across  sea. 

3.  The  Industries  op  British  Isles. 

Study  the  textile  industries. 

Notice  those  with  home  supplies  of  raw  ma- 
terial. 

Notice  those  with  foreign  supplies  of  raw 
material. 

Make  a  careful  study  of  the  "Associated  In- 
dustries" (dyeing,  bleaching,  chemicals, 
soap-making,  oil-refining). 

Find  out  all  you  can  of  the  iron  and  steel 
industry. 

Chief  centres  of  engineering  and  shipbuilding. 
Coal  trade. 

4.  Transport. 

Internal. — Railway  versus  road — the  modern 
problem  for  passengers  and  goods. 

Find  out  new  air  services  to  the  Continent, 
and  times  taken. 

5.  Export  and  Import  Trade. 

Summarize  this  trade  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
noting  the  country  and  destination  of  ex- 
port, and  country  of  origin  of  import. 

Exercises. — Answer  one  of  the  following: 

1.  Point  out  the  relation  of  quick,  cheap  transport 

to  trade.     How  does  the  transport  problem 
affect  Britain's  external  and  internal  trade? 

2.  Explain  the  dependence  of  the  United  Kingdom 

upon  foreign  supplies  of  raw  material.    How 
far  is  the  British  Empire  self-supporting? 


APPENDIX  II  253 

Boohs:  Atlas  (notice  also  maps  on  board) ;  Chambers' 
"Commercial  Geography";  Adams'  "Commercial 
Geography";  Howarth's  "Commercial  Geography"; 
"Britain  and  British  Seas,"  chap,  i,  ii,  xiv,  xv,  xix; 
"Natural  Wealth  of  Britain,"  chaps,  xvii-xxii.  Look  up 
the  "Times  Trade  Supplements";  Daily  Newspapers. 

ENGLISH 
Summer  Term  1922 
Aged  14  Form  IV  1st  Month 

"Macbeth." 

Bead  Acts  I  and  II.  Act  I,  1:  "What  purpose  is 
served  by  this  scene  ?  '  Aet  I,  2 :  Give  meaning  of 
kerns,  gallow-glass,  Golgotha.  Why  does  king  con- 
fer title  on  Macbeth?  Write  a  summary  of  hap- 
penings from  Act  II,  beginning  to  end. 

Learn  Act  I,  5,  lines  13-28. 

"Poems  of  Homeland,"  Book  II. 

Bead  "Poems  on  Home,"  Section  VI. 

What  impressions  of  British  Isles  would  these 
poems  give  you  if  you  were  a  foreigner? 

Which  poem  do  you  think  contains  the  most  beauti- 
ful descriptions?  Quote  and  give  your  impres- 
sions. 

Which  shows  deepest  patriotic  feeling? 

Does  any  poem  strike  you  as  being  rather  false  in, 
sentiment?    If  so,  why? 

"London  River." 
Why  is  poem  written  in  this  metre? 
Write  out  simply  what  the  poem  is  about. 


254  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Write  out  phrases  which  strongly  suggest  sound; 
phrases  which  sound  fine  or  beautiful. 

What  passage  seems  most  to  suggest  the  flow  of  the 
river  ? 

What  characteristics  of  the  English  does  this  poem 
speak  of? 

Give  one  example  of  following:  alliteration,  antith- 
esis, onomatopoeia. 


Grammar. 

Bead  Harrison,  chap,  xiv,  p.  102,  then  do 

Ex.  Ill,  p.  104. 
Bead  Harrison,  chap,  xv,  p.  104,  then  do 

Ex.  I,  p.  106. 


Analysis 

of 
Complex 
Sentences. 


Make  a  table  of  Pronouns:  Personal,  Relative,  In- 
terrogative, Demonstrative,  Possessive. 

Make  a  table  of  Adjectives:  Interrogative,  Demonstra- 
tive, Possessive. 

Composition. 

1.  Write  a  letter  of  sympathy  to  a  dear  friend  who 

has  just  suffered  some  grave  hardship. 

2.  Write   20   lines   in   the  metre  of   "Lay   of  Last 

Minstrel,"    describing    Streatham    or    Tooting 
Common.     Begin : 
"The  common  stretches  broad  and  green." 

3.  Write  an  original  story  called  "The  Ghost  of  Wil- 

low Glen." 
Middle.  Learn  any  other  20  lines  from  "Macbeth." 
Higher.  Read  Shakespeare's  life  in  "Cyclopaedia  of 
Literature." 


APPENDIX  II  253 

LATIN  SYLLABUS 

2nd  Year 

Age  15  Lower  V  7th  Month 

1st  Week 
Syntax. 

Learn  Dakers'  "Junior  Latin  Prose,"   §§  61-66. 

This  covers  the  construction  of  Questions,  Direct 

and  Indirect. 
Read   §§   18,   21,  noting  carefully  the  examples  of 

Latin  adjectives  used  for  English  adverbs. 

Prose. 

Write  in  Latin,  Extracts  118  and  122,  North  and 
Hillard's  "Latest  Prose  Composition." 

Note  that  these  contain  many  examples  of  Indirect 
Questions.  Try  sometimes  to  use  the  Ablative 
Absolute  and  subordinate  clauses  instead  of  prin- 
cipal clauses. 

Vocabulary. 

Learn  perfectly  Vocabularies  64-69,  and  think  of 
some  picture  for  the  description  of  which  you  might 
use  these  words. 

Ovid,  Extracts  I-IV.  Before  you  begin  this  there  will 
be  a  lesson  on  metre. 

Caesar,  Book  iv,  chap,  xx,  xxi. 

For  Higher  Division. 

Describe  how  the  Romans  would  attack  a  fortified 
place.  See  picture  cards,  and  Livingstone  and 
Freeman,  Introduction. 

Learn  Latin  terms. 


256  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

N.B.  Poetry  (Ovid)  is  to  be  the  most  important  part 
of  our  Translation  this  term,  but  we  cannot  afford  to 
neglect  prose  translation  (Caesar)  altogether,  both  for 
its  own  sake,  and  also  because  it  will  help  us  in  our 
prose. 

2nd  Week 
Syntax. 

Dependent  Clauses  in  "Oratio  Obliqua."  Dakers, 

§§  58,  59. 
Study,  as  a  revision,  the  examples  in  §§  22-24;  31-34; 

37-41. 

flProse. 

North  and  Hillard,  Extract  125,  for  practice  in 
Syntax  studied  in  (a),  and  Extract  136  which  will 
test  your  back  work.  You  will  find  notes  and  sug- 
gestions on  the  board. 

Vocabulary. 

70-75.  75  is  very  important.  Picture  different  people 
as  the  subjects  of  the  verbs. 

{Translation. 

Ovid,  Extracts  V  and  VI. 
Caesar,  iv,  22  and  23. 

^Higher  Division. 

Draw  a  picture  of  a  Roman  camp,  describe  it,  and 
learn  the  Latin  terms. 


Syntax. 


APPENDIX  II  257 

3rd  Week 


The  Relative  with  the  Subjunctive.  Dakees,  §  57. 
Revision  (thorough)  of  Final  and  Consecutive 
Clauses,  §§  47-50;  52-55. 


Prose. 

"Write  Extract  158,  North  and  Hillard.    Revise  your 

notes  on  verbs  of  Fearing. 
Write  Exercise  146  for  practice  of  the  Relative  with 

Subjunctive.     You  should  manage  without  notes, 

but  if  you  are  in  difficulties,  you  may  consult  note* 

on  board. 


Vocabulary. 

76-79.  Make  a  short  story  (English),  bringing  in  as 
many  of  these  words  as  possible.  This  will  help 
you  to  remember. 

Translation. 

Ovid,  Extracts  VII  and  VIII  to  line  20. 
Caesar,  iv,  24,  25. 

Higher  Division. 

Describe  the  Roman  artillery  (Ballistae,  Catapultae, 
Scorpiones). 
(a)  Study  pictures. 

(&)  Study  picture  of  a  Roman  soldier.    Describe 
his  clothing,  his  armour,  and  his  weapons. 


258  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

4th  Week 

Syntax. 

Causal  Sentences.     Dakers,  §§  67,  68.     Revision  of 
the  Supines.    See  notes  and  Dakers,  §§  111,  112. 
Revise  notes  on  translation  of  must . 

Prose. 

North  and  Hillard,  Exercises  150-152. 

Translate  only  the   expressions  containing  must  in 

these  three  exercises. 
Extract  162.    See  notes  on  board. 


Vocabulary. 

80-84.  Many  of  these  words  you  know.  Devote  your 
attention  to  new  ones,  especially  to  84. 

Translation. 

Ovid.    Finish  Extract  VIII  and  IX. 
Caesar,  iv,  26,  27. 

Higher  Divisions. 

How  many  men  in  a  legion  ?  What  were  the  divisions 
of  a  legion?  Who  were  the  officers?  What  can 
you  find  out  about  a  soldier's  (a)  pay;  (&)  food. 


APPENDIX  II  259 

GEOMETRY.     Syllabus  I 

Form  II.    Age  11 

3rd  "Week.    Jan.  28th 

Here  are  two  revision  problems.    Can  you  do  them? 

1.  A  man  notices  that  angle  of  elevation  of  top  of  a 

tower  is  30°  ;  on  walking  300  ft.  nearer  it  is 
60°.    "What  is  its  height? 

2.  A  man  standing  at  a  point  o  takes  the  following 
bearings:  church  47°,  castle  115°,  mountain  190°, 
hayrick  245°,  flagstaff  280°,  inn  320°.  Draw  dia- 
gram and  show  direction  of  these  places. 

Here  are  some  interesting  problems  in  mensuration. 
Draw  simple  plans  where  necessary;  work  clearly 
and  neatly. 

1.  A  garden  consists  of  a  lawn  with  a  path  round  it. 

The  garden  is  55  ft.  long  and  40  ft.  broad,  and 
the  path  5  ft.  wide.    Find  area  of  the  path. 

2.  An  oblong  garden  is  135  ft.  by  50  ft. ;  it  has  paths 

3  ft.  wide  running  the  whole  length  of  its  two 
long  sides.    Find  area  of  paths  and  grass. 

3.  If  the  area  of  a  garden  is  300  sq.  ft.,  and  its 

breadth  15  ft.,  what  is  its  length? 

4.  Find  area  of  (a)  top  of  examination  desk;  (6)  top 

of  small  collapsible  table;  (c)  top  of  large  table. 
The  above  examples  must  be  done  by  everyone.    Only 
quick  girls  may  attempt  the 

Middle  Syllabus 

1.  What  is  the  difference  between  a  square  foot  and 

one  foot  square? 

2.  How   many    %-in.    squares    of   glass   will   fill   a 

rectangle  18  in.  by  10^  in.  ? 


260  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

3.  Out  of  a  piece  of  paper  7%  in.  square,  a  rectangle 
4lY2  in.  by  3y2  in.  is  cut.    How  many  sq.  in  left  ? 
If  you  are  very  quick  you  may  try  the 

Higher  Syllabus 

1.  "Wall  paper  is  sold  in  rolls,  12  yds.  long  by  21  in. 

wide.  What  is  area  of  a  roll?  How  many  rolls 
are  needed  for  a  room  17^2  ft.  by  13^2  ft.  by 
12y2  ft.  high,  allowing  172/3  sq.  yds.  for  windows, 
etc.,  and  supposing  £  of  paper  is  wasted  ? 

2.  What  would  it  cost  to  varnish  a  border,  2  ft.  wide, 

round  a  room  15  ft,  long  by  22  ft.  broad,  at  iy±d. 
per  sq.  ft.? 

MATHEMATICS 

Form  Lower  V.   Age  15 

•Hall  and  Stevens,  "School  Geometry"  (Macmillan 

and   Co.),  Chignell  and  Paterson    (Oxford 

Press),  Part  II. 

1st  Week 

Revise  Theorems  32,  34,  35,  38,  39,  40,  41.    Theorems  on 

chord  properties  and  angle  properties  of  a  circle. 
Lower.  P.  147,  nos.  1-6;  p.  149,  8-12;  p.  151,  1  and  2. 
"    153,    "    1-4;  "  163,  1  and  2;  p.  165,  1-6. 

[Typical  examples  (p.  147,  5) :  Describe  a  circle  that  shall 
pass  through  two  given  points  and  have  its  centre  on  a  given 
straight  line.     When  is  this  impossible? 

P.  165,  5:  A  straight  rod  of  given  length  slides  between 
two  straight  rulers  placed  at  right  angles  to  one  another; 
find  the  locus  of  its  middle  point.] 

Middle.  P.  151,  no.    3.  P.  163,  3  and  4. 

Higher.  "    151,  nos.  4   and  5        "    163,  5. 

*  The  examples  are  included  here  by  kind  permission  of  the 
publishers. 


APPENDIX  II  261 


2nd  Week 

1.  Find  the  area  of  a  triangle  whose  sides  are 

(a)  7.34  in.,  4.62  in.,  5.49  in.     [Use  Pythagoras.] 
(&)  Find  the  area  of  the  same  triangle  by  using 
the  formula, 

A  =  Vsis-a)  (s-6)  (s-c)  where  A  =  area. 

S= |  perimeter. 

a,  h,  c,  are  the  sides  opposite  the  angles,  A,  B.  C. 

2.  Two  cubes  whose  edges  are  3.46  in.  and  5.72  in. 

are  melted  and  recast  in  the  shape  of  a  cube. 
Find  the  length  of  its  edge. 
Revise  Theorems  42-49.     Theorems  on  arcs   and 
angles  in  a  circle,  Tangency,  Contact  of  Circles, 
Alternate  Segment. 
Lower.  P.  170,  nos.  1,  2,  3,  13-21.     P.  177,  nos.  1-15. 
"  179,    "    1-10  "    181,   "     1-3. 

Middle.  "  170,   "    11,  12  "    181,   "     4-6. 

Higher.  M  170,   "    6-10,  19,  20,  22  "    181  completed. 

[Typical  examples  (p.  170,  no.  3) :  Two  circles  intersect 
at  A  and  B ;  and  through  A  any  straight  line  P  A  Q  is  drawn 
terminated  by  the  circumferences.  Show  that  P  Q  subtends 
a  constant  angle  at  B. 

P.  179,  no.  6:  A  straight  line  is  drawn  through  the  point 
of  contact  of  two  circles  whose  centres  are  A  and  B,  cutting 
the  circumferences  at  P  and  Q  respectively.  Show  that  the 
radii  AP  and  BQ  are  parallel.] 

3rd  Week 

1.  An  isosceles  A  has  its  equal  sides  4.62  in.  long 
and  a  base  of  2.84  in.  Find  the  area.  Find 
also  the  length  of  the  perpendicular  from  either 
extremity  of  the  base  to  the  opposite  side. 


262  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2.  Find  the  volume  of  a  cylinder  whose  diameter  is 
4.234  in.,  and  whose  height  is  28.32  in.  Find 
also  the  area  of  its  curved  surface. 
Problems  21-29:  Circles,  Common  Tangents,  Con- 
struction of  triangles  given  different  elements, 
triangles,  and  circles. 
Lower.  P.  187,  nos.  1-7 ;  p.  189,  nos.  1-11 ;  p.  191, 1, 2,  3. 

"  198     "    1-4   "  199     "    1-12. 
Middle.  "  187    "    8       "  191    "         4  "  198, 5. 
Higher.  "187    "    9       "191    "    5,6,7. 

[Typical  examples  (p.  187,  no.  5) :  Draw  two  circles  with 
radii  1.6  in.  and  0.8  in.,  and  with  their  centres  3.0  in.  apart. 
Draw  all  their  common  tangents. 

P.  191,  no.  2.  Construct  a  triangle  having  given  the  base, 
the  vertical  angle,  and 

1.  One  other  side;  2.  The  altitude;  3.  The  length  of  the 
median  which  bisects  the  base;  4.  The  foot  of  the  perpendicular 
from  the  vertex  to  the  base.] 

4th  Week 

1.  A  triangle  has  an  area  of  47.6  sq.  cm.,  and  one 

side  is  8.4  cm.    What  is  the  length  of  the  per- 
pendicular to  that  side  from  the  opposite  vertex  * 

2.  (a)  Obtain  a  formula  for  the  area  of  a  regular 

hexagon  of  side  "a." 
(&)   Calculate  the  area  of  a  regular  hexagon  of 
side  4.3  in. 

3.  A  hollow  sphere  of  external  diameter  10  in.  and 

made  of  metal  1  in.  thick,  is  melted  down  and 

recast  as  a  solid  sphere.     Find  the  diameter  of 

the  solid  sphere. 

Problems  30,  31,  in-  and  escribed  regular  polygons. 

Pp.  207,  208 — pedal  triangle  orthocentre. 

Lower.  P.  200,  nos.  2,  3,  4;  p.  205,  nos.  1-12;  p.  201, 

1,  2,  3 ;  p.  206,  nos.  1-4,  11 ;  p.  209,  nos.  1-3. 
Middle.  P.   201,  nos.   4;   p.   206,   nos.   5,   6,   7,   9;   p. 

209,  4-7. 
Higher.  P.  206,  nos.  8-12 ;  p.  209,  nos.  8-12. 


APPENDIX  II  263 

[Typieal  examples  (p.  205,  8) :  Find  to  the  nearest  tenth 
of  an  inch  the  side  of  a  square  whose  area  ia  equal  to  that  of 
a  circle  of  radius  5  in. 

P.  206,  7:  In  any  triangle  the  difference  of  two  sides  is 
equal  to  the  difference  of  the  segments  into  which  the  third 
side  is  divided  at  the  point  of  contact  of  the  inscribed  circle.] 

ENGLISH  SYLLABUS 

Form  1a.    Age  10 
Week  Ending  Jan.  14th 

Poetry.    Friday. 

Copy  into  own  Poetry  Book  four  verses  of  Thomas 
the  Rymer,  and  if  time  do  an  illustration.  Learn 
the  four  verses  (any  other  poem  of  your  own  choice 
may  be  learnt  as  well). 

literature.    Adventures  of  Odysseus,  chap.  xiv. 

"Write  this  for  Thursday  in  Reading  Book. 

1.  Imagine    you    are    Odysseus;    then    write    out    a 

short  account  of  the  way  the  swineherd  wel- 
comed you  at  Ithaca.  Explain  why  he  would 
not  believe  what  you  said. 

N.B.  You  will  find  it  easier  to  do  if  you  imagine  you  are 
telling  someone — Telemaehus,  for  example — all  about  the  ad- 
venture. 

2.  Write  down  any  words  difficult  to  spell  in  own 

English  Book. 

Composition.    Monday. 

1.  Refer  again  to  Greenwood  Tree,  p.  198,  and  if 
you  don't  remember  the  story  read  again  "The 
Man  in  the  Moon." 


264  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

2.  Write  a  scene  between  the  Old  Man  and  the 
Stranger,  and  any  other  people.  Do  not  use 
only  the  words  in  the  book,  but  try  to  imagine 
what  they  might  have  said  to  one  another. 

N.B.  Bemember  to  write  at  the  beginning  the  character!  you 
introduce,  and  the  place  where  the  scene  takes  place. 

Extra  English. 

Go  on  reading  Hindu  Tales,  and  write  the  answers 
to  each  chapter  as  you  go  along. 

[Do  all  the  other  English  first.] 


PROGRAMME  DU  FRANCAIS 

Classe  IVa 

1™  Trimestre  3e  Mois  Age  14 

Lecture  pour  le  Mois:    "Remi  en  Angleterre,"  chap, 
iii,  Pere  et  mere  honoreras. 

1M  Semaine 

A  savoir  le  vocabulaire  de  chap,  xxi,  Allpress  (p. 
42),  et  l'exereice  sur  la  formation  des  mots  (p.  4). 

2H  Semaine 

Grammaire:  Regies  du  subjonctif,  p.  112,  §  117,  §  119, 

§  120.    a,  savoir  par  coeur  les  listes. 
Vocabulaire:  voir  feuille  speeiale  (Remi). 
Verbes:  conclure,  moudre,  coudre. 
Dictee:  arrangee  sur  la  grammaire  et  le  vocabulaire 
appris. 


APPENDIX  II  265 

JJxercice  (en  classe).     Allpress,  Ex.  21,  p.  160.     Ill 
et  IV. 

(ecrit).  Lower:  5  phrases.  Middle:  7 
phrases  choisies  dans  IV  (1-15).  Upper: 
premiere  partie  de  IV,  16. 

3B  Semaine 

Grammaire:  a,  revoir  les  regies  du  subjonctif. 

Vebbes  :  se  souvenir,  se  plaire,  se  taire. 

A  apprendre  par  ccEUR:   "LTiistoire  de  Louis  XIV  et 

du  comedien." 
jVocABULAiRE:  feuille  speciale. 

[Lecture  Facultative:  20  pages  d'un  des  Livres  Koses. 

(To  be  tested  by  Mistress.) 
Exercice  Facultatip:  une  lettre  en  francais  de  Remi 

a  la  mere  Barberin,  lui  disant  comment  il  a  trouv6 

ses  parents. 

Wake  note. 

1.  During  the  first  week  of  the  month  there  will  be  a 

lesson  each  day.  This  leaves  only  forty  minutes' 
work  to  be  done  in  your  free  time  either  at  home 
or  at  school. 

2.  You  will  notice  that  the  chapter  from  "Remi  en 

Angleterre"  set  for  reading  during  the  month 
has  not  been  divided  up.  Divide  it  up  as  you 
please.  Save  your  difficulties  for  a  group  lesson, 
the  third  period  on  Friday,  March  17th. 

3.  A  special  star  may  be  obtained  for 

(a)  Specially  good  conversational  work. 
or  (&)'  The    Lecture    Facultative     (see    front 
page), 
(c)  The  Exercice  Facultatip  (see  front  page). 


266  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

PROGRAMME  DU  FRANCAIS 

Upper  V  Remove  (Matriculation  Form) 

Trimestre,        Moise.        Classe  de        Age 

1B  Semaine 

Degre  inferieur. 
Lire.    Bowen.    French  Lyrical  Poetry. 

(a)  Le  Chant  du  Depart. 

(&)   Couplets  militaires. 

(c)  Ronde  patriotique. 
Ecrire.    Voeabulaire  inconnu   au  carnet. 
Apprendre.    Voeabulaire. 

Moyen. 

Ce  qui  precede  et : 

Preparer.  Minssen,  "Composition,"  les  nos.  144,  145. 

Apprendre.    Bowen,  "Extase." 

Ecrire  en  Francais.    Minssen,  147. 

Ecrire  en  Anglais.    Bowen,  "Le  coin  du  feu." 

Superieur. 

Petite  narration,  precedee  d'un  plan. 
Sujet:  Un  orage  au  mois  d'avril. 
N.B.  Toute  eleve  devra  ecrire  la  narration. 

2K  Semaine 
Degre  inferieur. 

Lire.    Daudet,  "La  Mule  du  Pape." 
Apprendre.    Daudet,  "De  tous  .  .  .  huit  jours." 
Ecrire.    Voeabulaire  inconnu. 


APPENDIX  II  267 

Moyen. 

Ce  qui  precede  et : 

Preparer.    Oran.    Nos.  2,  16,  19. 
Ecrire.    Oran.    Nos.  5,  18. 

Ecrire  en  Francais.  Resume  de  "La  petite  Fodette." 
Ecrire  en  Anglais.     Daudet  (p.  71),  "Quand  .  .  . 
Camangue." 

Superieur. 

Petite  narration,  precedee  d'un  plan. 
Sujet:  un  orage  au  mois  d'avriL 
N.B.  Toute  eleve  devra  ecrire  la  narration.  Resume 

que   ce  soit  des  phrases   courtes,   dont  chacune 

fera  etape. 

PROGRAMME  DU  FRANCAIS 

Upper  V  Remove  (Matriculation  Form) 

Trimestre,    Mois.    Classe  de    Age  17 

1E  Semaine 

Upper.  Duhamel,  94.    The  Cat's  Pilgrimage. 
Theme.      Lower.  Duhamel  et  Minssen,  132.    The  Chair 

staffer's  donkey. 
Literature.  Alfred  de  Musset — lTiomme. 
Lecture.     Hernani.     On  ne  badine  pas  avec  l'amour. 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris.    Poemes  lydiques. 
Corriger  les  fautes  faites  a  l'examen. 

2E  Semaine 

Theme.  Les    memes — suite     (Duhamel,    95.      D.    and 
Minssen,  133). 


268  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Literature.  Alfred  de  Musset — le  poete  des  nuits. 
Lecture.    Les  memes — suite.     Aussi  les  Nuits. 
Essai.     La  Nuit  de  Decembre. 

3B  Semaine 

!    Upper.  Meme — suite     Duhamel,  96. 
Lower.  Duhamel  et  Minssen,  4.     Murder  of 
Marshal  d'Ancre. 
Literature.  Moliere. 
Lecture.  Les  memes — suite. 

Essai.  On  ne  badine  pas  avec  1 'amour  (compte  rendu) 
ou  Compte  rendu  ler  chapitre  de  Notre  Dame  de  Paris. 

4B  Semaine 


Theme. 


Upper.  The  Cat's  Pilgrimage.    Suite  et  fin. 

Duhamel,  97. 
Lower.    Murder  of  Marshal  d'Ancre.     Suite 

et  fin.    D.  and  M.,  5. 

Literature.  Hernani. 

Lecture.  Les  memes — suite  et  fin,  excepte  Notre  Dame 

de  Paris. 
Essai.  Preparer  un  compte  rendu  de  Hernani. 


Appendix  HE 

SOME    OPINIONS   OF   BRITISH   ELEMEN- 
TARY HEAD  MISTRESSES  AND  CHIL- 
DREN ON  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

OPINIONS  OF  HEAD  MISTRESSES  IN  ELEMEN- 
TARY SCHOOLS  WHERE  THE  DALTON 
PLAN  HAS  BEEN  PUT  INTO  OPERATION. 

London,  S.E. 

"In  the  four  upper  classes  of  the  Girls'  Section, 
where  the  children  range  in  age  from  nine  to  fourteen, 
we  have  been  working  on  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan 
for  the  past  six  months;  and  in  the  lower  classes,  some 
of  the  more  intelligent  children,  aged  from  seven  to 
nine,  have  also  been  drawn  into  it  for  special  subjects. 
Though  our  school  is  designed  for  250  pupils  we  have 
at  present  277,  so  that  each  class  numbers  from  forty 
to  forty-five  children.  Our  class-rooms  have  been  con- 
verted into  laboratories,  but  lack  of  space  necessitates 
two  subjects  to  each  room.  As,  however,  we  study 
major  subjects  in  the  morning  and  minor  subjects  in 
the  afternoon,  we  do  not  find  this  arrangement  incon- 
venient. Thus  Mathematics  shares  a  laboratory  with 
Handicrafts  and  the  English  laboratory  is  also  used 
for  Hygiene,  each  class-teacher  taking  the  two  subjects 
and  in  some  cases  a  third  subject  as  well.  We  overcome 
the  difficulty  created  by  the  widely  varying  powers  and 
speed  of  individual  children  belonging  to  the  same  class 

269 


270  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

by  dividing  the  assignments  into  maximum,  medium, 
and  minimum.  In  this  way  the  quick  and  clever  chil- 
dren are  not  kept  back  by  the  slow  ones. 

"At  the  beginning  of  our  experiment  we  certainly 
had  some  difficulty  in  getting  the  children  to  settle  down 
to  work  and  to  assume  responsibility  in  measuring  their 
own  time.  But  as  they  became  accustomed  to  their  new 
liberty  the  confusion  of  the  first  days  subsided.  All 
our  teachers  are  unanimous  in  declaring  that  more  work 
and  better  work  has  been  done  under  the  Dalton  method 
than  under  the  old  system.  Even  the  dearth  of  suffi- 
cient books  to  go  round  seems  to  have  bred  a  spirit  of 
helpfulness  among  the  pupils.  We  use  the  graph  to 
record  progress,  and  on  the  back  of  the  card  a  conduct 
graph  has  been  added  with  the  letters  of  the  alphabet 
to  indicate  lapses  from  our  standard  of  discipline — A 
c=  1  lapse,  B  =  2  lapse,  and  so  on. 

"From  the  teacher's  point  of  view  we  do  find  the 
Dalton  Plan  entails  much  heavier  work.  At  first  I  found 
class-mistresses  spending  half  their  nights  in  composing 
assignments  and  correcting  work,  and  I  seriously  feared 
we  might  have  to  abandon  the  new  method  on  that 
account.  None  of  them  were,  however,  willing  to  do  so 
and  we  have  now  to  some  extent  got  over  this  difficulty 
by  reducing  the  amount  of  work  required  in  the  assign- 
ments. Personally  I  think  it  essential  not  to  set  too 
high  a  standard  of  work  especially  at  the  beginning. 
If  any  of  the  children  finishes  her  assignment  before  the 
end  of  the  week  or  month,  I  have  found  a  few  hours 
or  even  a  day  of  quiet  reading  an  excellent  way  of  fill- 
ing up  the  time.  Of  course  every  child  is  free  to  choose 
her  book  and  they  seem  to  enjoy  this  extra  opportunity 
of  studying  a  weak  subject.  Here  specialization  appeals 
to  our  teachers,  as  providing  them  with  a  chance  of 
increasing  their  knowledge,  and  some  of  them  regret 
that  the  system  does  not  permit  them  to  devote  all  their 
energy  to  one  subject." 


APPENDIX  III  271 

London,  W. 

"Here  so  far  we  have  only  reorganized  one  class  in 
the  Girls'  Section  on  the  Dalton  Laboratory  Plan.  But 
the  results  of  our  six  months'  trial  have  proved  so  sat- 
isfactory that  we  hope  to  extend  it  to  two  more  classes 
next  term.  We  would  not  go  back  to  the  former  method 
for  anything.  The  effect  on  the  children  is  marvellous. 
Not  only  do  they  take  a  real  pleasure  in  their  work 
now  but  under  the  Dalton  Plan  they  accomplish  far 
more  than  before.  We  also  find  the  children  more 
sympathetic  towards  each  other.  As  there  are  between 
thirty  and  forty  pupils  in  this  particular  class,  each 
group  engaged  in  the  same  subject  chooses  a  helper 
from  among  its  members  to  whom  those  in  difficulties 
can  go  when  the  reader  is  taken  up  with  another  child 
or  another  subject.  These  helpers  are  the  older  and 
more  intelligent  girls,  and  the  class-mistress  is  of  course 
always  there  to  check  the  help  they  give  and  to  supple- 
ment it.  In  addition  to  this  she  has  started  a  log-book 
in  which  all  the  pupils'  names  are  entered.  Against 
them  she  writes  her  criticisms  of  the  work  of  each  one 
after  she  has  gone  over  it,  adding  a  word  of  advice  on 
general  progress.  This  book  is  always  available  for 
any  pupil  to  refer  to.  These  devices  have  enabled  the 
teacher  to  cope  with  the  far  greater  demands  which 
the  Dalton  Plan  makes  on  her  time  and  knowledge. 
They  also  enable  the  pupil  to  find  immediate  assistance 
in  solving  any  difficulties  that  may  arise  when  she  is 
left  to  her  own  resources.  My  teachers  show  no  inclina- 
tion to  limit  their  work  to  teaching  only  one  subject  in 
the  curriculum.  They  seem  to  think  such  specialization 
narrowing  to  the  mental  outlook.  As  the  bulk  of  chil- 
dren in  Elementary  Schools  finish  their  education  at 
fourteen,  the  average  teacher  should  surely  be  able  to 
meet  the  demand  in  all  standard  subjects." 


272  THE  DALTON  PLAN 


OPINIONS  OF  BRITISH  ELEMENTARY 

SCHOOL  CHILDREN  ON  THE 

DALTON  PLAN 

CLASS  I  6.12.21 

1.  I  do  like  the  plan  by  which  we  are  working,  (a) 
I  like  to  find  the  information  from  books,  (b)  and  to 
change  a  subject  when  I  feel  tired  of  it.  (c)  When  I 
feel  I  would  like  to  study,  I  can  do  so,  but  before,  on 
the  old  system,  I  could  not  have  done  so.  (d)  On  this 
plan  we  have  the  afternoons  clear  for  the  other  subjects, 
so  I  like  this  plan  very  much. 

2.  I  did  not  like  the  plan  when  we  first  began,  I 
could  not  get  into  it,  it  seemed  peculiar.  I  understood 
the  scheme,  but  I  could  not  work  by  it  at  first.  But 
I  like  it  now.  I  do  not  know  what  the  exact  trouble 
was,  only  that  I  could  not  seem  to  work  by  it. 

3.  I  cannot  find  any  faults  about  the  Dalton  Plan, 
only,  perhaps  (a)  when  I  am  interested  in  the  study 
it  is  time  to  go  home  for  dinner,  perhaps  that  is  called 
a  fault,  or  even,  I  do  not  very  much  like  (&)  copying 
the  assignment  down  on  Friday  afternoons,  but  these 
faults  are  very  slight,  (c)  and  I  should  like  some  more 
oral  lessons. 

4.  There  are  not  sufficient  books  for  the  girls  to  have ; 
for  example,  there  are  only  two  "Piers  Plowman,"  VI, 
and  most  of  the  girls  want  them  at  once.  So  it  would 
be  very  nice  to  have  some  more  books  for  next  term. 

CLASS  I 

1.  I  like  the  plan  because  formerly  I  was  content  with 
a  surface  knowledge,  letting  the  teachers  give  me  all 
the  good  they  had  got  out  of  a  book,  and  getting  every- 
thing they  had  thought  out  without  first  thinking  it 


APPENDIX  III  273 

out  myself,  so  that  I  grew  to  rely  on  them  more  and 
more,  and  had  hardly  an  idea  for  myself  on  any  sub- 
ject. Now,  I  look  through  perhaps  two  or  three  books, 
and  when  I  find  something  really  good,  I  feel  as  though 
I  had  made  a  new  discovery,  and  thus  it  makes  me  much 
keener  and  more  interested.  Besides,  when  we  are  given 
our  week's  assignment,  there  are  always  some  new  prob- 
lems which  are  fascinating  to  work  out,  and  when  I 
think  I  have  solved  the  problem  it  gives  me  fresh  inter- 
est, because  I  feel  as  if  I  were  getting  on  much  better. 
We  have  to  rely  on  our  own  effort  now,  so  that  we  are 
always  on  the  look-out  for  something  fresh  on  our  sub- 
jects, and  take  a  universal  (I  mean  as  far  universal  as 
we  can  get)  interest  in  the  things  going  on  around  us; 
and  whereas  we  looked  for  interest  in,  say,  only  one 
subject,  we  now  have  interest  in  them  all. 

Also  the  plan  gives  us  more  time  to  concentrate  on 
the  different  subjects,  though  this  is  where  I  think 
that  the  plan  is  not  so  good,  because  though  we  are 
given  about  the  same  time  for  working  as  before,  we 
are  required  to  read  a  great  many  more  books,  and 
write  a  great  many  more  exercises.  I  don't  think  any- 
body gets  her  work  done  in  school  hours,  unless  it  is 
very  much  the  minimum.  But,  of  course,  we  don't 
grudge  the  time  one  little  bit,  only  if  we  had  more 
time  we  could  spare  more  time  on  the  extra  work. 

It  also  teaches  us  our  weaknesses  very  much  more 
than  if  we  just  learnt  the  lessons  in  which  we  are  weak, 
without  finding  the  causes  and  effects,  and  so  on.  It 
is  just  like  having  to  forage  for  one's  food;  you  learn 
more  of  the  animals  and  Nature  than  if  we  spent  a 
twelvemonth  trying  to  learn  their  ways  in  an  academy 
or  university,  while  living  on  the  food  which  is  received 
and  manufactured  by  others. 

2.  I  think  that  the  suddenness  of  the  plan  took  away 
our  breaths.  Besides,  I  did  not  wish  to  change  the  old 
plan,  under  which  we  had  worked  so  long,  for  a  new 


274  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

one  whose  very  ideas  were  new.  The  teachers,  our  old 
supports,  would  be  gone,  and  the  harder  work  was  not 
very  welcome,  especially  when  we  had  got  fairly  com- 
fortable in  the  old  groove.  We  did  not  fit  our  subjects 
to  the  time  either,  and  found  when  the  week  was  up> 
we  had  scarcely  begun  one  subject,  or  hardly  finished 
another. 

CLASS  II  7.12.21 

1.  I  think  it  is  a  very  good  plan  and  I  like  it  much 
better  than  the  old  plan.  It  gives  us  more  time  to  get 
on  and  we  do  not  have  to  wait  for  others.  We  can  get 
on  all  right  ourselves,  but  it  gives  the  teachers  more 
working. 

2.  I  think  the  trouble  is  that  we  did  not  quite  know 
how  to  get  on  alone,  and  we  were  not  used  to  it,  and 
I  think  some  of  us  were  impatient  about  the  books. 

3.  We  sometimes  have  to  wait  for  books,  which  can- 
not be  helped. 

4.  I  think  we  could  have  twenty  minutes'  play  in  the 
afternoons  instead  of  ten  minutes  in  the  morning. 

5.  We  could  each  bring  some  small  sum  of  money  to 
help  buy  new  books. 

6.  As  the  four  top  classes  are  using  this  Dalton  Plan 
I  think  we  could  have  a  room  for  each  subject. 

CLASS  II  7.12.21 

1.  I  think  the  Dalton  Plan  is  much  better  and  much 
more  interesting  because  we  are  much  more  free  and 
can  find  out  things  for  ourselves,  whereas  before  we 
only  knew  what  was  told  us  by  teachers. 

2.  At  the  beginning  of  the  term  we  were  used  to 
being  told  everything  and  were  not  at  all  familiar  with 
our  books.  We  did  not  know  in  which  book  to  look 
for  the  best  descriptions  of  any  point,  or  to  find  out 
what  our  books  really  contained. 


APPENDIX  III  275 

3.  Although  I  appreciate  the  plan  I  think  that  it  has 
several  drawbacks:  (i)  When  only  one  book  has  a  point 
which  all  the  class  has  to  study,  some  girls  are  unable 
to  do  their  work,     (ii)  There  is  more  moving  about. 

CLASS  II  7.12.21 

1.  I  do  like  the  new  way  and  plan  of  working  in 
which  I  am  able  to  study  more  by  myself.  It  has  many 
good  points,  for  example,  one  need  not  stop  in  the 
middle  of  a  lesson  to  continue  with  a  different  kind  of 
subject. 

2.  When  we  first  started  this  new  Dalton  Plan  it  was 
such  a  change  from  the  old  plan  that  we  could  not  really 
settle  to  our  work  and  therefore  some  of  us  did  not  get 
our  week's  assignment  finished. 

3.  There  are  a  few  faults:  (a)  There  is  only  one  book 
to  go  round  the  whole  class,  and  that  is  a  drawback 
because  sometimes  a  girl  does  not  get  the  book.  (&) 
The  Geography  and  History  room  is  crowded  and  some 
girls  have  to  go  into  their  own  class  room  and  most 
likely  change  their  subjects.  At  first  the  break  at  10 
o'clock  was  very  inconvenient  to  the  teachers,  but 
as  it  is  altered  it  is  much  better  and  wiser. 

4.  We  need  more  books  to  go  round  the  class. 
This  plan  is  very  wise,  but  it  would  be  wiser  if  we  could 
work  in  the  afternoons  by  this  new  plan,  and  also  in 
Science,  Hygiene,  and  a  few  games.  If  we  could  start 
earlier,  we  should  have  more  time  for  play. 

Aged  5/12  years  CLASS  III  6.12.21 

1.  I  like  the  Dalton  plan  very  much,  it  is  an  interest- 
ing way  of  working.  In  the  History  and  Geography 
we  get  on  at  our  own  pace  and  can  learn  more  by  the 
plan,  whereas  before,  when  we  had  separate  lessons 
the  sharp  girls  had  to  wait  for  the  slow  ones.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  arithmetic,  the  girls  who  could  get  on 


276  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

and  get  the  sums  done  had  to  wait  for  the  others,  but 
now  we  can  do  them  any  time  during  the  two  hours 
we  are  given.  In  the  time,  just  before  the  exams,  much 
more  revision  can  be  done  which  helps  us  to  take  higher 
places  in  the  exams.  It  also  teaches  us  to  help  ourselves 
and  not  always  have  the  teacher  watching  over  us. 

2.  At  the  beginning  of  the  term,  when  we  first  started 
the  plan,  I  did  not  like  it  very  much.  It  was  new  and 
we  weren't  used  to  working  that  way,  but  when  we 
settled  down  it  was  quite  alright  and  I  think  most  of 
us  like  it  now. 


Aged  11,  5/12  years  CLASS  III  6.12.21 

1.  I  like  the  Dalton  plan  very  much;  and  I  think  it 
very  much  better  because  if  we  could  not  get  on  with 
one  subject,  or  could  not  set  our  mind  on  it,  we  could 
do  another  subject,  and  then  come  back  to  it  again. 
Again,  if  we  had  not  quite  finished  a  subject  at  an 
appointed  time,  we  could  spend  a  few  minutes  longer 
at  it,  whereas  if  we  were  not  using  this  plan,  we  would 
have  to  stop,  and  the  work  would  be  unfinished.  I 
think,  too,  by  being  able  to  finish  our  work  we  can  learn 
more;  or  if  one  week  we  had  a  subject  which  was  very 
easy,  and  got  it  done  quickly,  we  could  spend  more  time 
at  another. 

2.  At  the  beginning  of  the  term  we  thought  we  would 
never  get  the  work  finished,  and  so  hurried  through  it 
and  consequently  never  grasped  the  work  we  were  sup- 
posed to  learn;  but  in  two  or  three  weeks'  time,  when 
we  began  to  grasp  the  plan,  we  found  that  if  we  worked 
carefully  we  could  get  it  all  done. 

3.  I  have  no  fault  to  find  in  the  plan  I  simply  think 
it's  ripping. 


APPENDIX  III  277 


Aged  12  years  CLASS  III  6.12.21 

1.  The  idea  of  the  new  plan  is  very  pleasing  to  me. 
Fo?  instance,  when  I  am  just  getting  wrapt  up  in  some 
study  and  the  half  hour  is  gone,  I  can  go  on  until  I 
have  finished  the  chapter.    We  are  free. 

2.  My  trouble  at  the  beginning  of  the  term  was  this: 
(a)  I  thought  I  should  not  be  finished  my  work  at  the 
end  of  the  week.  (&)  We  were  left  to  ourselves,  where- 
as before,  our  teacher  took  us  with  our  lessons,  (c) 
I  was  not  quite  used  to  it. 

3.  The  faults  of  the  plan  are  not  many,  to  my  idea. 
One  is,  that  there  is  so  much  walking  about  to  be  done. 
Another  is,  catching  up  to  other  girls  if  you  are  away. 
A  third  fault  is,  that  Miss  Gibbs's  books  which  she  lends 
to  us  to  help  us  in  History  and  Geography  may  get 
frightfully  spoilt  in  time. 

Aged  12  years  CLASS  III  6.12.21 

1.  I  appreciate  the  plan  very  much.  I  feel  more 
interested  while  doing  the  work  by  myself,  and  the 
quick  and  intelligent  girls  need  not  wait  for  the  slow 
ones,  but  learn  more  and  more  to  get  ahead  of  them. 

2.  Not  a  bit  did  I  like  this  plan  at  the  beginning  of 
the  term,  as  I  could  not  understand  it,  and  I  thought  I 
would  not  progress  at  all.  This  would  also  make  me 
feel  as  if  I  did  not  want  to  work  if  I  did  not  under- 
stand it,  but  as  I  was  told  more  about  it,  I  began  to 
understand,  and  when  the  first  morning  of  the  new  plan 
ieame  I  was  feeling  very  glad. 

3.  The  great  fault  I  find  that  we  do  not  have  enough 
time  to  do  our  work  in  the  morning,  for  sometimes  when 
it  is  time  to  leave  we  are  in  the  midst  of  a  study.  I 
sometimes  do  not  like  having  to  copy  our  contracts 
every  Friday,  for  sometimes  we  have  quite  a  lot. 

4.  I  cannot  suggest  anything  for  the  next  term. 


278  THE  DALTON  PLAN 

Aged  12  years  CLASS  III  6.12.21 

1.  I  do  like  this  new  plan  of  work,  because  I 
always  seem  to  be  able  to  get  on  quicker  when  working 
by  myself.  I  also  think  that  I  can  work  much  harder. 
The  work  seems  easier  now  than  it  did  before,  for  I  do 
not  like  to  have  a  teacher  standing  in  front  of  me  telling 
me  what  to  do,  I  like  to  work  by  myself.  This  new 
plan  seems  to  make  me  work  harder,  for  I  knew  that 
the  work  must  be  done,  or  else  I  shall  be  behind  all  the 
other  girls,  and  I  should  not  like  that,  so  I  do  like  this 
plan  very  much,  and  I  hope  that  we  always  have  to 
work  by  it. 

2.  I  did  not  like  the  work  at  the  beginnirg  of  the 
term,  because  it  seemed  so  strange,  and  everything 
seemed  to  go  wrong,  and  I  could  not  get  on  with  my 
work  at  all.  I  did  not  like  going  into  the  Geography 
and  History  room.  I  only  went  in  there  a  few  times 
but  now  I  like  going  in  there,  and  I  have  grown  to  like 
this  plan  very  much  indeed. 

3.  I  cannot  find  any  faults  of  the  plan  and  I  should 
not  think  that  anybody  could  find  any. 

4.  I  cannot  make  any  suggestions  to  help  with  the 
work  next  term,  because  I  want  to  still  keep  going  on 
with  this  same  plan,  and  I  want  nothing  to  be  altered 
in  the  least  little  bit,  if  it  does  I  shall  not  like  it,  but 
I  should  like  a  few  more  holidays. 


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